


Little Ones

by Anonymous



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Adult Losers Club (IT), Adults, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Children, Crack Treated Seriously, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier-centric, Established Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Light Angst, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Multi, Pennywise (IT) Being an Asshole, Stanley Uris Lives, Teenage Losers Club (IT), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-24 14:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 39,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21339439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: “Are you ready for the little ones?” Stan readout. “What does that mean? What little ones?”Richie made a face, “I don’t know but I’m going to guess that it absolutely sucks.”~~In '89 they defeated Pennywise. In 2016 they have to go back.It seems normal enough (ignoring the demon space clown and stuff) until the Losers are staring at the Losers. But, like, young.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris
Comments: 212
Kudos: 697
Collections: Anonymous Fics, time travel time





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some light-hearted '89 Losers and '16 Losers.

“Five minutes Tozier, and I want you in the wing with a minute spare.”

“Yeah, yeah. Four minutes,” Richie waved his manager off; pressing accept on his phone as he stepped out onto the small deck. Unknown number, from Maine. He didn’t remember much from his childhood but he knew that he had grown up in the state. Leaving the day after graduation. He hadn’t thought about it since. “You’re speaking to the one and only; Richie Tozier.” 

“Richie? It’s Mike. Mike Hanlon.”

For a moment Richie racked his brain, “I don’t know a-”

“From Derry.”

It only took a second for Richie to realise what was happening. He didn’t understand, but he knew. “Right, Mikey,” his voice was shaky and the hand was clenching the wooden beam that he was leaning on. “What’s up?”

“It’s back, Richie. It.”

“Couldn’t call with some good news?” 

“You’ve got to come back,” Mike continued calmly without acknowledging Richie had said anything. “You promised. When we were younger.” 

“When we were kids,” Richie muttered. 

Mike made a noise of agreement. “I know this sucks, and I’m sorry. But you have to come back.”

“Guess so.”

“I’ve found all the other Losers, remember? Stan and Bev and Bill and Ben? I just have to find Eddie. Do you remember Eddie? I can’t find his number anywhere. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, or his number? You two were close.”

Richie felt sick. “No, I don’t know where he is. For all I know he’s in India or something. Look, Mike, I’ve got to go. I’ll come to Derry tonight and, shit, I don’t know.”

“Thank you, Richie. I’ll see you soon.”

The phone beeped and as soon as he heard the dial tone, Richie leant over and vomited. He groaned, wiping his mouth as the door next to him swung open. “Richie! What the hell? Are you okay? Oh, god, are you getting sick?”

“No,” Richie forced a smile onto his face. “I’m fine.”

“Who were you talking to.”

Looking into his face, Richie knew he had to lie. Lie his heart out. “No one, Eds. Wrong number and I got nervous. That’s all.” 

“You sure?” Eddie asked, reaching over to check Richie’s temperature. 

“Let’s get this show over so we can go home.”

“Alright, but you’ve got to go to sleep early if you’re sick. No staying up to watch reruns of shit shows like you’ve done this entire week!” 

Richie laughed at Eddie’s pout, kissed him on the forehead and grinned when Eddie started complaining about how gross he was. They went inside, hand in hand. His manager was already by stage, staring at his watch as they came up to him. He glared at Eddie - they had never liked each other - before turning to Richie. Who had been given a bourbon and was happily drinking it. There was a countdown, Richie handed his drink to Eddie who started drinking it himself, and then an announcement, welcoming Richie on. 

“Have fun,” Eddie said. 

“Always do,” Richie replied easily before walking onto the stage. Grinning through the dread he felt. “Hey, hi. Welcome, thanks for coming. Now before we actually start the show I wanted to tell you about what my husband did the other day. I love him, I do, but oh my lord he is one crazy little fucker. Anyway-”

Somehow he was able to make it through his show without any major mishaps. Someone had yelled out some insults but he was able to turn it around. He never knew if they were trying to be funny or actually insulting him. Either way, Eddie did it first. His manager had congratulated him (and promised another Netflix special soon - Eddie beamed, he wanted to redo their kitchen) and then they were off, heading home. Richie still hadn’t told Eddie that he was leaving that night. Still didn’t know what to tell him.

‘Hey, so I’ma go and fight a killer clown that nearly ate us as kids but I want you to stay here, okay? Also, isn’t it crazy that I am starting to get my memories back? Love you, might die but see you soon!’.

Eddie would murder him before the clown. 

“Pizza will be here in ten,” Eddie said, flopping down so he was half on the sofa and half on Richie. “Now, are you going to tell me who called you?”

“I already said-”

“You lied,” Eddie interrupted. “I’ve known you forever. I know when you’re lying. You can’t look me in the eye and you always look me in the eye.”

“Not true, I stare at your ass a fair bit.”

Rolling his eyes, Eddie poked Richie’s stomach. “Tell.” 

“Mike Hanlon.” Why the fuck couldn’t Richie lie to Eddie? It was ridiculous. They had been married for almost ten years, together since before Richie couldn’t remember, and he couldn’t lie to the man, even if meant Eddie could survive this upcoming week. “From Derry.”

“Derry? Wait, I recognise that name. Why do I know him?” 

“We grew up together. Us, him, Bev and Stan and Bill and Ben.”

Richie could see when Eddie remembered. His eyes went wide, surprised. And then he looked scared. He looked like he did when they had gone into that fucking crack house as children. Richie was just surprised he could remember what Eddie looked like when they were thirteen; they hadn’t been able to remember anything before graduation aside from their parents and the fact that they were in love. 

“No wonder we both had panic attacks when the clown tried to give us a balloon.”

“That’s what you’re going to say?” Richie asked. “After remembering all of that, you land on the time we both had a panic attack at the circus?” 

Eddie shrugged. “So, what did Mike want? Oh, oh. It’s back. Isn’t it?” Richie nodded once, not looking at his husband. “And we promised that we would go and kill It. Shit, why the fuck did we do that? Could have gotten aids then and now we have to fight a demon clown.”

“Your brain works weird.”

“When are we going back?”

“I’m going back tonight.”

“You are?” Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow at Richie. “Without me? I seem to recall that I was there when we fought the alien. Wait, why hasn’t Mike called me yet?” 

Richie pursed his lips. He wanted to make a joke, lighten the situation. But he couldn’t think of anything to say. “I told him that I didn’t know where you are. He can’t find you so you don’t have to go back to that hell hole of a place.”

“Why can’t he find me?”

“He’s looking for Eddie Kasprak. We never released your last name so he doesn’t know that we’re still together.” 

“I’m still going with you, Rich. I’m not staying here while you run off and fight that fucker alone.”

Sighing, Richie pulled Eddie close to him. He knew, deep down, that Eddie would never stay back in California. He knew that but by god he wanted it to be true so badly. Could you blame him? He wanted his husband to stay safe and not be near the fucking demon clown that had already tried to kill them once before. Eddie intertwined their hands, smiling at him, knowing what he was thinking. There was no way Eddie wouldn’t come with him. Eddie was one of the bravest people he knew. Especially when it came to his friends. 

“I love you,” Richie said with a sad smile. 

“I love you too, but I’m not dying.” 

Richie pouted. “Whenever you say that you love me you say but afterwards.”

“I love you, Richard Tozier.”

“And I love you, Edward Tozier.” 

~~

They have a full day in Derry and they spend the entire time making out in their hotel room because they’re in love. Then, as the sun was setting, they made their way over to a newer restaurant. Mike had sent Richie the address, still having no idea that Eddie was there. ‘It’s awkward now’ Richie had complained when Eddie told him to tell Mike and then they started kissing again. And then it was dark and they were on their way. 

“It’s almost amazing how little this shit hole has changed,” Richie said as Eddie drove through town. “Is the demon clown or the fact that Derry is stuck in the ‘50s?” 

“Both.”

“Yeah, that sounds right.” 

“This is going to be so weird,” Eddie muttered. “We were best friends and then we all forgot each other. I didn’t even know that I lived here.”

Richie hummed, “we didn’t forget each other.”

“You’re too annoying to forget.”

“Apparently not.” 

Eddie shrugged, “well, you always annoyed me more than the others -”

“-because I love you!”

“-so maybe that’s why I remember you.”

“Also the fact that we’re married.” Eddie hummed non-committal and pulled into the carpark, grinning when Riche made an upset face at him. There were a few other cars already parked but it wasn’t like they could know if their friends were already there. It was six-fifty three and they were supposed to be meeting at seven. Another car pulled in, Richie was typing on his phone. “Please tell me that is not fucking Dave.”

Richie shook his head, “it is not Dave. Still, don’t know why you hate him, he’s a good manager. I’m searching up our friends to find out the gossip.” 

“Why?”

“So we know what we’re getting into - what the fuck? Okay, you know those horror books that have bad endings?”

“Yeah?”

“Fucking Bill wrote them. We lived them a bad horror movie plot and he still can’t write a fucking horror story, I can’t believe it.”

Eddie laughed, “okay stop stalking our friends. I think that’s Bev.”

“Who’s the hot guy beside - holy shit, is that Ben?”

“Ben got hot.”

“Babe, I love you but -” Richie trailed. 

“I know. Ditto.”

Richie grinned, “we are the perfect couple.” He leant over and pressed a small kiss to his husband’s lips. “Alright, let’s go and see our childhood friends! It’s gonna be so fucking fun.” 

They linked up with Bev and Ben (who were both really fucking hot, what the fuck?) before heading inside. It felt odd, the modern restaurant in the middle of Derry which Richie was thinking of nominating for ‘less modern town in America’. This had also been a clothing store when they were kids (that they were banned from thanks to Richie, Bev and Stan) so it was strange seeing it dressed up with Chinese symbols. It was all weird. No one felt comfortable with anything. 

One of the wait staff led them into a small enclosed room. Richie’s eyes went to the gong and before Eddie could tell him not to he, he banged it. The four people in the room turned to look at them. It was an uncomfortable silence before Mike broke it: “Eddie! I thought you had died or something!” 

“Nope,” Eddie said with a forced laugh. “I’m here.”

“Mike said he couldn’t find you,” Stan said. Richie grinned as soon as he heard his best friend’s voice. Going over and pulling him to a hug before Eddie could respond. Richie pulled Mike and Bill into it as well, and not a moment later Bev, Ben and Eddie were moving over to join in. They pulled apart, smiling and a few of them (Richie and Mike and Ben) had tears in their eyes. “Good to see you too, Rich.”

“You too, Stan. Okay, let’s eat because the Town House has shit food.”

“Isn’t it!” Bev agreed and just like that, it was normal. They sat down at the table. Bev and Ben beside each other, Richie and Eddie beside each other as well. It was as if no time had passed. Like they were still fifteen and sitting in a circle at the barrens, complaining about teachers and homework. Life was better then. When they had each other. It, the reason they were there, wasn’t mentioned. None of them wanted to be the one to bring it up. Break the happy mood the group was in. 

After Bill had explained that he was on his way back from England when he got the call he turned to Eddie. Both he and Richie knew what was about to be asked. The group did too, apparently, because they all leaned in to hear. “So, why couldn’t Mike find you? I mean, I was in England and he knew where I was. I think he was stalking us.”

“I, uh, I got married, so my name is different.” 

“Oh shit,” Bev said, “congrats!”

“Thanks,” Eddie smiled genuinely. He didn’t miss the look that Stan sent Richie. 

“So, for future reference,” Mike asked, “how should I find you?”

Ben looked confused, “if you didn’t find Eddie how did he know to come here?” 

“I thought Richie told him?” Bev asked. “They arrived together.”

“Richie said that he didn’t know where Eddie was,” Mike said.

“We’re right here,” Richie muttered. Everyone ignored him, staring at Eddie. 

Eddie smiled, “for future reference, my name is Eddie Tozier.” 

“You married Richie?” Stan asked. They nodded, holding up their left hands where golden bands lay. “When?”

“Day after it became legal. Went down to the courthouse,” Richie said. “People know I married someone called Eddie but we kept his maiden name a secret.” 

“Please don't’ call it my maiden name. I hate that.”

“It’s what it is.”

Mike frowned, “why did you say that you didn’t know where he was?”

“Panicked, didn’t want him to come to Derry.” 

“I was coming no matter what.”

“Yeah, well sue me for not wanting my husband to die!”

“We’ve been over this!” 

The other losers still looked confused. Watching the two of them bicker. “So, you remember each other?” Ben asked, “because I didn’t remember anything. Like at all, I didn’t even remember that I lived in Maine.”

“Kind of?” Richie shrugged. “I remember all the sweet loving I gave to Mrs K-” he paused for them beep him before continuing “-and the fact that Eddie and I grew up together.”

“We were dating when we left for college,” Eddie continued, “so we just kind of kept going.”

“So romantic,” Richie said. 

Eddie threw a piece of cabbage at him, “you just made a joke about fucking my mom.”

“She was a lovely lady.”

“So you two didn’t change,” Stan interrupted. “At all.” 

They smiled at him and replied; “nope.”

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. They caught up some more; talking about work and life and what they had been up to in the last nearly three decades. It was so simple, all of them there together again. Bev talked about her fashion line - which had dressed Richie, Eddie and Bill for different events. How Ben owned his own architecture firm and how Mike was the owner of the Derry library. Stan’s wife and his life in Atlanta and then Eddie and Richie’s life in California. 

Until the fucking fortune cookie. Bill was the first to open his, frowning at the message inside of it. “Please don’t tell me it’s something like ‘oh you’re gonna die soon’ because that’s just shitty,” Richie said as Eddie and Ben opened their own, also frowning.

“Mine just says ‘little’,” Bev said, laying the piece of paper on the table. Ben put his beside hers, his said ‘you’. Soon everyone had opened a cookie and had received a word. Stan was the one to put it together. Eddie’s ‘are’ and Richie’s ‘ones?’ going at the beginning and end, Mike’s ‘ready’ and Bill’s ‘for’ in the middle. 

“Are you ready for the little ones?” Stan readout. “What does that mean? What little ones?” 

Richie made a face, “I don’t know but I’m going to guess that it absolutely sucks.”


	2. Chapter 2

After a brief run-in where Richie yelled at a ten-year-old boy for no reason and was almost yelled at by his father, they left the restaurant. “Do you not know your own material?” Bev asked once they were outside.

“I’m stressed,” Richie replied sullenly. “And it was old.”

Stan started teasing him, making fun of him with Richie shooting straight back. The tension eased a little. Not enough to make it like it was in the restaurant but enough so that they were okay. They started talking about what to do next - most of them voting to go back to the townhouse and sleep. Surely killing the demon clown could wait until the morning. He wasn’t going anywhere.

It had just been decided when there was a loud noise behind the restaurant, in the woods. 

Someone, someone younger than them, was yelling. It wasn’t clear at first; as if there were a few people speaking at the time. Then it stopped, silence echoing around them before a very clear and distinct: “What the fuck?” Rang out. Then there was nothing again. 

Eddie was the first to react, turning quickly to look and calling; “Richie?”

“Yeah?” Richie said. He was standing right there; what was Eddie talking about?

“Richie!” He called again. And then he was off, running and making the others run to catch up. The losers followed him into the woods, only coming to a stop once they had caught up to him. They were standing only a few trees into the woods, in a small clearing of trees. 

And there they were.

Them.

Seven children standing side by side opposite seven adults. All of them looked confused and a little afraid. 

No one moved and then in tandem both the Richies said; “what the fuck?” 

“That’s us,” Bev said, the older one. “When we were-”

“Where the fuck as we?” Little Eddie asked, he was standing as close as he possibly could to Richie. Richie, in turn, looked like he was only a moment away from grabbing Eddie’s hand and not letting go. Big Richie thought about grabbing his own Eddie’s hand but how old were these kids? If he had seen himself holding hands with Eddie at that age he would have passed out. Little Eddie still looked halfway to a panic attack. “And who the fuck are you?” 

“We’re you,” Big Eddie answered. His eyes flicking between all of them widely. “The Losers.”

Little Richie scoffed, “this is some weird clown trick.”

“M-maybe we should r-r-run?”

“I like that plan.”

Big Stan spoke after his little counterpart, “if you’re making a plan speak quietly. We can hear you.”

“Why don’t we go back to the townhouse?” Bev sugged, the big one, “all of us. And then we can discuss what’s happening.”

“We can’t go with them!” Eddie snapped, “they’re strangers!” 

Bev, little, shrugged, “they kind of look like us.” 

“We’re going to follow them because they kind of look like us?” 

“Come on, Eds, and if they are paedophiles we can shank them and run,” Richie said brightly, already walking forwards. “What’s seven pedos versus a demon clown?” 

“You don’t have a knife.”

“I’ll whittle one.”

“When will you get the time?”

They were still bickering but all of the small losers had started walking. They never came right up to the adults but followed them out of the woods nonetheless. Little Richie and Eddie still looked like they wanted to hold hands, which promoted big Richie to whisper to his Eddie, “we should properly keep the whole ‘we’re married and in love ‘thing a secret right now. I don’t think they’d handle it well.”

“I know. I was gonna suggest that to you as well.”

“Yeah, well I suggested it first so it was my idea.” 

“That’s not how it works!”

“They never change?” Stan asked, frowning at big Eddie and Richie, as they made their way into the parking lot of the Jade. Big Stan laughed, along with Bill. Little Stan made a face, as did Little Bill. “Oh, that sucks. I thought they’d grow out of it.” 

Little Richie threw his arm around Stan’s shoulders and started making kissy noises. Eddie tried to look annoyed but was clearly hiding a grin. The others were all just grinning at their friend’s antics. Richie let Stan go, who was grumbling and trying not to laugh as well. All of the young ones looked to the adults. Richie had stepped back so he was beside Eddie, and both big Eddie and Richie watched as Stan rolled his eyes as he did so. Stan so knew. 

“What do we do know?” Little Mike asked. 

“Each adult take their kid with them,” Big Mike said. “Meet back at the Inn and we can -”

“Eat!” Richie interrupted. “I’m starving.”

“Yu-you’re always hu-hungry.” 

He shrugged and Ben, the little one, spoke up. “How do we know you won’t get us in the car and then kill us because you’re actually the clown?”

“Give me a car,” Richie said, “I’ll drive us all back.”

“You’re thirteen,” Big Richie rolled his eyes.

“And?”

“You’ve only tried to drive once,” Big Eddie said and from the reactions of both groups, only Eddie (both) knew about this. Both Richies glared. “And you crashed your dad’s car into the pole opposite your house. You then blamed me and then, when you dad said that I wouldn’t so that, you said that someone had stolen the car, crashed it and ran. Your dad now hides the keys.”

Little Richie narrowed his eyes, “how do you know that?”

“I was in the car with you. We were listening to Footloose when it happened.” 

“Is that true?” Little Stan asked, glee written across his face. Big Stan looked the same if they were being honest. Richie was still glaring at Eddie but he nodded. 

“Yeah, and because of that incident, dad taught Eddie how to drive before he taught me, even though I’m older,” Big Richie muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Both Eddies looked pleased with the outcome of it all. “Alright, Richie, Eddies. Let’s go. See you guys at the Inn.”

Doing as instructed, the three of them followed Richie towards their car. “Why are the Eddies with us? Not that I don’t love any quality time with my baby.”

“I am not your baby!”

“Try darling,” Big Richie suggested. “My Eds loves that.” His Eds did love that - not that he had ever said so - but that was a dirty movie. “And we’re in the same car because I drove Eddie out here.”

“So you do learn how to drive.”

“Of course I do, darling.” At Eddie’s and Richie’s blush, they both stopped talking and took to looking out of their respective window. The adults had to hold in their laughter at it. They could remember, now, what it was like to be going through it. Thinking the other would hate them if they came out and shared their feelings. Once his blush had subsided, Richie turned back around. “So, it’s 2016?”

The adults nodded. Little Eddie made a face, he looked nervous, “how are we going to get back to ‘89?”

“Ask the clown really nicely?” 

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Derry wasn’t that big so it didn’t take them long to pull into the parking lot. Most of the time was spent with little Richie asking a bunch of questions about the future - do robots do everything? Kind of. Was school still a thing? Yes, obviously. Was he famous yet? Yes, you are. How famous? You were on SNL for three years. Holy shit, really? Yeah. Eddie, did you hear that? How do we know they’re not lying to butter you up? 

They arrived at the Inn first. “How sensible were we when we were thirteen?” Richie asked.

“Why?” Little Eddie asked. 

“Do you two want to bunk with your older self or together?” Richie asked. Neither hesitated to answer: they wanted to be together. Because of course they did and both adults already knew that because they were them. “I’ll go and get you two a room, but if you’re annoying or shits we’ll switch it around. Got it?” They nodded. Both adults sighed because they would have nodded as well and they knew it meant absolutely nothing. 

“I feel like this is some sort of karma,” Eddie said, “we were such shits when we were kids, so we have to deal with it.” 

Richie laughed before leaving the room and getting them another room. Both Bills and Bens came into the lobby before Richie was back. Almost as soon as he was there the Bevs and Mikes came in. Stans not far behind. Somehow Richie had found candy and was sharing it with Eddie, Eddie had found a chair and Richie was perched on the armrest. Bev, the little one, sat down by Eddie’s feet and the other kids started converging around them as well. 

“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever fucking seen,” Big Richie said. “Pass me some candy baby, Richie.” 

“Not enough for adults.”

“Little shit.”

Bill interrupted them, “I know we don’t have great memories but I don’t remember time travelling. Anyone else?” All the adults shook their heads. “So, why are they here?” 

“What was the last thing you guys did before you turned up there?” Mike asked. 

“We were in the clubhouse,” Stan answered. “And it was the day and then we were in the forest and it was night.”

“Oh god,” Eddie moaned. “Oh no.”

Both Richies snapped to attention, the little one speaking. “What’s up, Eds?” 

“My mom is going to kill me. We’ve already been gone for hours.”

“Maybe,” Richie said as Eddie pressed his face into Richie’s thigh. Eddie, the big one, understood the want of touch. Any excuse was good enough - a blush? Perfectly reasonable to bury your face in Richie’s thigh. “I mean, in the movies at least, the original time is like frozen so no one even knows that the person is gone. We’ll defeat the clown fucker and then snap back to ‘89 and your mom won’t know that we left in the first place.” 

“I doubt that the clown fucker is gonna be that nice to us.”

Richie shook his head, he spoke confidently but looked scared and hesitant, as if he was making it all up as he went but couldn’t let Eddie know that. Big Richie figured that was the case. It was what he would do. “I don’t think it was him. I mean, why would he want fourteen people fighting him? Even if the adults told us not to go and help them, we would. And we just fucking beat him like a month ago. I think it’s something else that wants us to win.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” big Mike said. 

“It does,” big Bev nodded along. “Why would the clown want fourteen of us? He could just manifest the kids if he wanted to scare us.”

“But even then,” Bill said, “why would we be scared of us as kids. We would know it’s fake.”

“Unless-” Mike said but was cut off by Bev and Ben shaking their heads. That was a conservation for after the kids went to bed. “No, nevermind. So I’m guessing you kids are going to help? You don’t have to.”

They looked annoyed at the suggestion. Even Eddie, who hadn’t moved from Richie’s thigh, tensed up in anger. “W-we w-will help you g-g-guys. We w-won’t s-s-stand back.” 

“Okay,” Bev said. “Good, just know that we won’t care if you sit out. Now, why don’t you guys go to bed? We’re going to have to do some stuff tomorrow and judging by the fact that all of you have yawned about ten times in the last minute I’m guessing you’re tired.” 

Big Richie threw a room key to his younger self. “Don’t break anything. Go to sleep and no sneaking out. Usually, I wouldn’t care but there is a killer clown that eats kids out there.” Younger Richie nodded, pulling his Eddie up before the two of them disappeared down the hall - their bickering echoing around. 

“You gave them their own room?” Stan asked, all of the adult losers were trying not to laugh and the young ones looked jealous at the fact. 

“I’ve been sneaking into Ed’s house for years at this point. They sleep together all the time.”

“Is that why Richie never answered the phone in the morning?” Stan asked.

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “Please don’t call my house and ask for him though. My mother wouldn’t be happy.”

Stan looked very serious as he nodded in understanding. Their friends were good with that kind of thing. They always had been. All of the other young losers were given keys to their respective adult's rooms, and they were off. Yelling could be heard for a while after they had left. Richie poured himself a drink as Bev lit up a cigarette. He sighed as he sat back down beside Eddie. “Well, this weekend just got a whole lot weirder.”

“Tell me about it,” Ben muttered. “I don’t like looking at myself. And not even in an ‘I’m self-conscious’ way, it’s just weird.” 

“I can’t believe we were so small,” Bev said. 

“Eddie hasn’t grown,” Richie said. Eddie rolled his eyes. “So, what are we thinking? Do we abandon them or do we take them? What’s the play?” 

“We can’t abandon them,” Mike said. 

Richie shrugged, “I mean. We can. I guess we shouldn’t.” 

“Glad you’re so reasonable,” Stan muttered. “Mike, before the kids showed up, what was your plan?” 

“It’s called the Ritual of Chüd.”


	3. Chapter 3

“We should go downstairs,” Eddie said as Richie kissed up and down his neck. “They’ll be waiting for us.” Richie hummed. “And the little ones might get worried.”

“I’ll make some joke about us and then they’ll forget.”

“I don’t like it when you call him ‘you’.”

Richie laughed into Eddie’s neck, “I am he and he is me.” 

“Come on then, me, we should get downstairs.”

“You’re no fun,” Richie groaned but did as he was told. The two of them getting ready quickly before making their way to the lobby. Where, as guessed, everyone was already waiting for them. The little ones were all eating while the adults drank coffee. Bev, both of them, looked like they wanted a cigarette. Eddie went to pour them some coffee as Richie threw himself dramatically onto the only available loveseat. “So, are we going on our little adventures today?” 

Stan sighed, “we just discussed it. You would know that if you two had been down here.”

“Aww, Eds just can’t say no to me!” Little Richie said, nudging the Eddie that was practically sitting on his lap. Richie watched them - were they really that obvious? 

“No! And don’t call me that.”

“And please don’t joke about my sex life, makes me uncomfortable,” Big Richie added. “Was I really that annoying?” All of the Losers - even the children - confirmed that yes, he is that annoying. Eddie handed him a mug as he nodded. “Whatever, so are we getting our tokens today or not? No one answered me.”

Mike made a face. “I - okay so last night I went back to the library to get the book and there were all these notes on my desk.”

“Wow,” Richie said, “notes on a desk?”

Big Richie scowled at him, “you should respect your elders.” 

“They weren’t mine though. I had never seen them before,” Mike continued easily. “And, I don’t know. It’s weird.”

“What did the notes say?” Bill asked. 

“That the ritual of Chüd wasn’t what I thought it was. I don’t know if the notes were left by you know-”

“Pussywise!”

“-thank you Richie, or if they’re supposed to be helpful. After we talked about why the littles are here it made me think.”

Putting his mug down on a coaster, Stan spoke up. “Did it say that we shouldn’t do it?” 

“No.”

“If something is helping us,” little Bev said, “could they maybe make it a bit easier. They’re not that helpful.”

“What do you think we should do, Mike?” Big Bev asked.

He shrugged, “I was so sure, but now?”

“D-did the n-notes s-s-say not t-t-to g-g-get the tokens?”

“What would happen if we did the ritual anyway?” Big Ben asked after Mike had shaken his head at Bill’s question. No one answered him but no one looked averse to the idea. “I mean, he’s not going to get stronger, is he? And we can think of a backup plan so if the ritual doesn’t work then we can try that. If the notes are helpful then we know not to put all our eggs in one basket but if it the clown then we still do it.” 

“Ben,” Big Richie said, “you’re the second smartest person in this room.”

“Thank you,” Little Richie said. Both Eddie’s rolled their eyes. 

Mike cleared his throat, “we need to get our tokens. Which means we have to go back to that summer. When we separated.”

“You want us to split up?” Both Richies asked at the same time.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Big Eddie said. “I mean, look at the odds of survival and stuff.”

“It’s not ideal but it’s the only way.”

“What about the little ones?” Stan asked. 

Little Stan’s eyes were wide. “I don’t want to go anywhere by myself. Last time that happened I was nearly eaten.” None of the little losers looked happy at the idea of being by themselves. The big losers understood - they were hardly ever apart now. Ever since that summer, they had spent the majority of their time by each other’s sides. Sleepovers and long days spent doing nothing so long as they weren’t alone. Because when they were alone they got hurt. 

“We can go with them,” Mike said. “Each kid can go with their respective adult to get their tokens.”

“Do we need tokens as well?” The other Mike asked. His older self nodded. “We’re not going back to that summer, though, it still is that summer for us. What tokens could we get?” 

“Just so long as they represent something to you, and it isn’t the same as your older self one. It should be okay.” 

“Should be,” Little Eddie whispered, he sounded breathless. “Should be okay.” 

His Richie grabbed his hand. “Breath, Eds, it’s going to be fine. You’re gonna go off with your older self and have some fun in 2016! It’s like we’re in a comic book.”

“I guess.”

“Well I know because I’m smarter so,” Richie shrugged. Eddie rolled his eyes but he was breathing easier. The other kids looked more at ease as well. “And if the ice cream shop is still a thing we can bully them into buying us some.”

“Come on then,” Big Richie stood, “may as well go now. If you behave I’ll buy you an ice cream.”

“If I behave? Are you my dad?” 

Richie sighed, “no ice cream for you then.”

“I’ll get one,” Little Richie seemed very confident. “I’ve got a dollar in my pocket.”

“Ice cream is like five dollars now,” Big Eddie said. All of the kids looked personally offended that the treat had gone up in price. 

One by one they left the lobby. The Mikes went first, the younger Mike asking to see the notes that had been left. Then the Bens and Bevs left together, the adults being weird and the youngers crushing. Both Bills and then Stans were next to go, apparently, they had some ideas of where they were going. Which left Richie and Eddie alone with their younger selves again. “Any idea where you two are going?” Big Eddie asked.

“I think so,” Big Richie answered. Little Richie made a face. “Yeah. You?”

“No idea. We’ll figure something out.”

They let the little ones go outside first, sharing a secret kiss like they were young again, and then they split up. 

~~

“How are you finding living with your aunt?” Bev asked as she walked down the street with her young one. They were on their way to her old house. A house she hadn’t seen in nearly 30 years and the other Bev had just moved away from. 

“It’s alright,” the little Bev said. “It sucks that I’m out of Derry but she lets me visit a lot. I miss them when I’m there though.”

“They’re good friends,” she replied, pulling out a cigarette. “I’d offer you one but it’s not really allowed anymore. You can have on back at the inn.” 

Little Bev shrugged. “What’s my life like when I’m older?”

“If I have anything to do with it, not like mine,” Bev sighed sadly. How much could her younger self handle? She was a strong kid - had to be with her dad and pennywise and bullies - but everyone had a breaking point. Bev figured finding out that she ends up with another abusive man in her life was a contender for reasonable breaking point. Little Bev looked like she understood anyway. “If a man calls Tom asks you for a coffee run away. Run fast.”

“Why don’t we -” she cut herself off. 

“I don’t know. He’s a good guy,” Bev sighed again. “I don’t know how I forgot him.”

The little Bev shrugged again, “not our fault.” They were nearly there. It looked the same as it had done when they had lived there. So many awful memories had been created in there, memories that both of them had tried their best to block out and never think about. And now they were going to go in there and try to remember all of them again. “I haven’t been here since that night.”

“Bill and Richie went to get your clothes,” Bev said almost like a question. The memory was hazy. Little Bev nodded. “I didn’t want to.”

“Yeah. The police took me and I couldn’t go inside. Richie and Bill offered to go instead. Bill was sensible and actually got my stuff but I think Richie just wanted to snoop inside my room.” 

“That sounds like Richie,” Bev replied as they got to the door. One knock and then they were inside their childhood home. 

Fuck their childhood home. 

~~

Across town, both of the Bills were standing outside of their childhood home. There was a new family there. A new child in Georgie's room and new bikes in the driveway. The family looked happy. Little Bill looked most upset; which made sense, seeing as he was looking at his current house. 

“W-when do we m-m-move?” Bill asked. 

“I went to college and my parents left about a month after me. They couldn’t be in the house with no-” he stopped. 

“G-Georgie.”

“Sons,” Bill corrected. “They love you, they love you so much but they’re struggling. When he disappeared it, it ruined them. We know what happened but they don’t. They had no closure.” 

Bill looked away from the house. “Did you f-f-fix it? D-do you t-talk to th-them nu-now?”

“At least once a week. It was hard through high school but it got better when I left for school.”

“D-do they s-s-still b-b-blame you?”

“They never did.”

Little Bill didn’t look convinced. They turned and continued walking. There would no tokens in that house. The Denbroughs no longer existed in there. Only a few minutes later they ended up at the drain. This was the last place that anyone had seen Georgie alive. Little Bill stared it at. Big Bill couldn’t force himself to look. They stood there, in silence, for a long time. Both of them couldn’t think of any words to say. 

It was almost surprising that no one had come out to tell them off. But then again, most people didn’t leave Derry. They stayed and lived in the house all their lives. Under the influence of a space clown and in a town known for missing children. For all Bill knew these people had lived in those houses when he was young and knew why he was standing in the middle of the road, staring at a sewer. Or maybe they just didn’t care that a strange man and child where there. No one cared when Bill was young. 

“W-why?” 

Big Bill closed his eyes, willing the tears to stay away. Little Bill sobbed. 

“Why?” A voice echoed around them. Not theirs. “Because you weren’t there, Bu-Buh-Billy. It was so easy.”

“F-fucker!” 

“So easy,” the voice sang. In the distance, it sounded like carnival music, muted and changed. Bill recognised it; it was used in his first movie. It was the villain's song. A man who killed dressed as a clown, carnival music playing when he did it. “So easy,” he sang again, more child-like voice chimed in. Singing along with the clown that had killed them. Now only puppets to torment more people. Lure more children to their own deaths. It was all distorted and wrong. 

None of this was fucking fair. 

“Why weren’t you there?” The clown asked softly as water started trickling out of the drain. A paper boat with S.S Georgie floated out. Little Bill sobbed again and the other Bill reached forward to grab it. As soon as he had it in his hand the voices stopped.

“I-it d-d-doesn’t m-matter if m-my per-parents d-don’t blame m-me.”

Bill looked at the boat in his hands. It looked exactly the same. 

“Come on. We’ve got to find your token,” was all he said. Because there was nothing Bill could say to relieve the painful and all-encompassing guilt that the younger one was feeling.

~~

“Why didn’t you leave?” 

Mike looked at his younger counterpart sadly. “Bev stays in contact with you for a year and then you stop hearing from her. Ben moved before senior year and you don’t hear from him again. We all figured that they wanted to move on or something. But then Richie and Eddie left, the day after graduation and they never sent a letter or anything. They had been friends with Stan and Bill for so long that they were convinced something was wrong. When Bill left he promised to send a letter. Nothing came. Stan had another year of school and the farm needed me so I stayed. Stan left and I never heard from him either.”

“You knew.”

“I figured.”

“And so you stayed.” 

“Yes.”

“When this is over you’re going to Florida,” the young Mike replied. He said it was such conviction that Mike, for a second, thought that he actually was. Tickets booked and bags packed. But that wasn’t the case at the end of the day. He was still stuck in Derry, in the library and alone. “I will make sure that you get out of here,” young mike continued. “I will, no matter what.” 

Big Mike played along. “That sounds great. Have you chosen your token yet?”

“The rock.”

“What rock?”

“The rock that Bev threw at Henry Bowers when he was attacking me. It’s still there, I hid it. I had only meet Eddie and Richie before, and it was only for a moment, but they were all ready to fight Bowers for me. They’re good friends.” 

“The best.”

“What about you?”

Shrugging, Mike kicked a small pebble on the floor. They were walking towards the creek, Mike now realised. The younger one had known all along. “I think I’ll burn my notebook, where I wrote all of this down.”

“That sounds good,” little Mike decided. “I like that.”

They were about to get off the road and head into the woods. They’d just have to climb down and then they’d be there. But, nothing ever worked out well because this was Derry. The clown was there, standing only a few trees deep. Both Mikes froze in place. They had already jumped the barrier so they couldn’t run back to the road easily. Not that it actually mattered.

“What do we do?” Little Mike asked. 

“Awww,” Pennywise made a cooing noise. “Where are your friends, Mike?” 

“Getting their tokens,” Mike replied, stepping in front of the younger one slightly. 

“Or have they left? Like you never could, you got to stay with me. Wouldn’t you like to stay with me forever?” He smiled at them, bloodied teeth and all. Little Mike picked up a rock that was beside him, throwing it at the clown. His head whipped back, coming upright with a gash across the forehead. He was still smiling, blood running down and into his eyes. Mike had another rock in his hand and was about to throw it when Pennywise stepped back. “You’ll stay with me. Here in Derry, won’t you Mike? Both of you can stay with me forever.”

Mike pulled his arm back to throw the rock but before he could, the clown was gone. The rock didn’t leave young Mike’s hand until they were back at the townhouse, meeting up with Bev and Ben. Mike couldn’t blame him.


	4. Chapter 4

The Bens found themselves at the high school. They broke in, not that it was hard to, and ended up standing in front of their old locker. Eddie’s was three down from his, Richie’s next to Eddie’s. Stan and Bill had theirs down the hallway and to the left, close enough that Richie could yell to them if he wanted to. It was nice having his locker close to his friends. He could remember all of them going to their lockers together and then leaving together. He had never had friends before them, moving too much and being too insecure to make them. 

Little Ben opened his locker. For him, it was the one he was using right now. There would be a notebook that he had forgotten and a few loose pencils. He hadn’t been to school with the losers yet, summer not over for him. Young Ben was still afraid that his newfound friends would stop talking to him the moment they stepped foot in the building. The combination was the same. 

He pulled the door open and was surprised to find what he did. It wasn’t his empty locker and it wasn’t the girl’s who used it now. It was Ben’s from the last day he had used. The last day school of his junior year. Little Ben looked confused as he took it in. Everything was exactly the same as it had been that year; textbooks stacked along the bottom. Pencil case on top of them. Pictures stuck to the walls. 

There was a picture of him with Bev, even though they hadn’t spoken in a year. A group photo from the first summer and a group picture from Eddie’s birthday party that year. There was a picture of him and Stan at junior prom, Eddie and Richie photo bombing in the background. Polaroids of different losers doing different things. A strip of all of them from a photo booth. A picture Bev has sent him from Portland. Mike and Richie singing on a roof, Stan and Eddie trying to make a cake (it wasn’t working for them). Ben and Bill arm wrestling, Ben winning. 

“That’s us,” Little Ben said lamely as he took it all in. 

“It is.”

“We stay friends,” Ben replied softly as if he couldn’t quite believe it, “through school.”

“Yeah, right until I had to leave.”

He reached in, towards a group picture of them. His fingers had just brushed it when a hand shot out from inside the lockers, grabbing his wrist tightly. Little Ben screamed and pulled his arm back. The grip didn’t loosen. Big Ben grabbed his younger counterpart and pulled back as hard as he could. From the blackness of the back of the locker, a face appeared. It hadn’t changed.

“What nice pictures you have, Ben!” The clown said with a happy smile. “How sad that they’re lies! They don’t like you, Benny Boy, you don’t have friends!”

“Yes, I do,” little Ben snapped, pulling his arm harder. “I do have friends.”

Pennywise crackled. “Oh? But they forget about you, and so easily. You don’t mean anything to them.”

“Because of you,” Big Ben replied, still clutching the little Ben. “You made us forget about each other. They are our friends.”

“They still forgot. I wouldn’t forget you, Ben if you came with me! We could be friends forever~” Pennywise sang. Little Ben pulled on his arm again, Pennywise letting go of him at the same time. Both of Bens fell back and hit the ground hard. Pennywise stepped out of the locker, looming over them and still smiling. “Don’t you want to be best friends forever? I want to be. I won’t forget you.” 

Both of the Bens kicked out at the same time. Hitting the clown in the leg and chest. He hissed at them, his face morphing into something darker. “I do have friends! Bev and Stan and Bill and Mike and Richie and Eddie! They are my friends.”

Pennywise laughed, loud and gleeful. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Both of the Bens replied. 

“We’ll see,” Pennywise replied quietly before disappearing. The locker snapping shut and locking. A picture lay where he had once stood. The group picture from Richie’s birthday party in their freshman year. It was the last time any of them had seen Bev. Maggie had snapped the picture without them knowing. Richie had manhandled Eddie onto his lap and Bev was sitting tucked in beside Ben. Mike and Stan were debating something calmly while Bill and Richie fought over the music. It was one of the best nights of Ben’s life. 

“They are my friends,” Ben picked up the picture. 

Big Ben nodded; “don’t forget that.”

~~

Both of the Stans found their tokens in the clubhouse. They had gone their straight away, older Stan knowing what he wanted and younger Stan not but there was nowhere else for him to go yet. So they made their way to the barrens; driving because Stan had a car now; and then walking the rest of the way. It was surprisingly easy to find the entrance for the older Stan who hadn’t thought of the clubhouse since he was about to leave Derry. Mike and he didn’t go to the clubhouse often. It felt empty and cold knowing that the other losers weren’t there. They spent their days at the farm or in Stan’s room. It was only the two of them anyway; wasn’t like they didn’t fit in one bedroom. 

The two of them lowered themselves down the ladder. It was so similar, nothing had really changed since he was last down there. Little Stan seemed to disagree. He looked around in distaste, kicking at the loose floorboard. 

“Has Richie broken the hammock yet?” Big Stan asked. The hammock was still in the corner, swinging slightly. Little Stan shook his head. “Eddie was in and he wanted to get in so he climbed in.”

“Eddie does that all the time.”

“Yeah but this is Richie, so he jumps in and pulls the hammock of the posts. He and Eddie fall onto the floor with this huge crash. We thought they were dead to be honest because they didn’t move for so long. And then Eddie starts hitting Richie, anywhere he can, and calling him all these names. Richie found it hilarious until Ben refused to put it back up.” 

“That sounds like them.”

Stan laughed, “Eddie begged Ben to put it back up and he did. I think it took about two days.”

“Do you remember these?” Little Stan asked, pulling a metal tin off a shelf. Big Stan laughed, nodding as his younger one pulled out the shower caps. There should have been eight of them because the pack came in two, but Richie and Eddie had used one to try and catch frogs once and they had thrown it away. Little Stan handed the other Stan a cap. It had love hearts on it - Bev or Eddie’s then. They were very fussy about it, no one else was allowed a love heart shower cap. 

“Is there a floral one?” Stan asked, Little Stan, nodded and pulled it out. This was his. He put it on as little Stan kept looking at the stuff on the shelf. They had left so many things down there. Eddie had a mini first aid kit, there was a bunch of hand sanitizer, magazines and notebooks, homework and little games. Why hadn’t they taken their stuff with them when they all left? 

Little Stan pulled out a book, “oh. I love this.”

“I forgot about that one,” Stan said, looking at the cover. It was one of his first bird books, a simple one that had made Stan fall in love with birds. “I used to take it with me where I ever I went.”

“I do,” little Stan muttered. The pages were faded now, torn and dirty and the cover was dusty. Nothing like the pristine condition that Stan kept it in. “I used it. When we fought.”

It took a moment for Stan to remember how he had used the book. Of course. He had started listing off birds, running through the different birds that he had read about in that very book. ‘I believe in them, I don’t believe in you’ he had said. He had used insults where he couldn’t physically fight the clown-like Richie or Mike. Sure, he had gotten a hit in but it was the insults that made him feel brave. He had looked Pennywise in the eyes and told him that he wasn’t real. That he wasn’t afraid. 

“Found your token?” Big Stan said knowingly. 

“I think so.”

As they climbed out of the clubhouse little Stan grabbed some sanitizer. He was covered in dust and dirt now. It made him feel itchy. Big Stan took a generous amount when he was offered as well. Stan put the bottle in his back pocket. Eddie would like to have some as well, and then he’d force all of them to put some on. Richie would complain loudly but he would do it, the others might roll their eyes but no one would put up a fight. Stan smiled at the thought as they walked to their car. Big Stan sent him a questioning look and Stan just shrugged in response. “I was just thinking about the losers.”

“Oh?” Stan’s phone buzzed. It was Patty’s ringtone, he smiled as he slipped it out. She had messaged to make sure that he was okay. She didn’t know why he had packed up and gone to Derry but she trusted him enough. Once it was all over he would tell her everything that had happened. The losers could back him up.

“Who’s that?” Stan asked. The young ones still didn’t quite grasp what a phone was but they understood it enough. 

“Patty, my wife.” Stan pulled up a photo, the two of them had taken it one night when they were lightly buzzed on wine. He truly loved her. In the picture, he was kissing her cheek causing her to grin at the camera. “She’s amazing.”

Little Stan smiled, “she’s pretty. Are we happy?”

“Very. We’re very happy.”

~~

The Richies were walking down the street, tokens in hand, and were heading back to the townhouse. Someone had come up and asked for a picture with big Richie which made the entire experience almost worth it in little Richie’s eyes. The little one was flipping his literal token, spinning it in the air and catching it. He had been upset at the state of the arcade, or at least he pretending that was the only reason that he was upset with the whole thing. Big Richie had chosen a token from his old house. They had snuck into the garden and Richie had dug up the knife he had buried before they left Derry. 

“So, we never get fixed?” Little Richie asked as they walked.

“What do you mean?”

“I carved, you know, with that knife. That’s why you got it, right?”

“Yeah.”

Little Richie flipped the token again. “So it’s still an important part of our life. We don’t get fixed.” 

“Richie, listen to me,” Richie said. They were about to go onto the Inn so he stopped. They had been a while; others could be back already. This conversation was private. “There is nothing wrong with us. With you. You’re not sick, you’re not perverse, you’re not wrong and I know that you don’t believe me but it’s true. Okay?”

“I think everyone disagrees.”

“Your friends don’t, your parent’s don’t.”

“I tell them?” 

He nodded, “yeah. When you’re fourteen. Stan figured it out though, he already knows. And mom said she knew, mothers knowledge or something. No one cares. I mean, dad makes really bad jokes about it but.”

“Next year? And they don’t mind? What about Eddie?”

“Eddie doesn’t care at all. He’s the first one you come out to.”

“That makes sense. Do I tell him that I have a - Oh! Eds! What the fuck happened to you?” 

The Eddies came to a stop beside them. Both of them were covered in some weird black sludge and the little one looked two seconds away from bursting into tears. Both Richie’s stepped closer to their Eddie. “It was the leaper,” the little Eddie said, gasping. “He, he had my mom and he knew and he vomited on us. Eddie was strangling him and he just, he vomited on us. Again.” 

“That’s really gross.”

“Yeah, Richie, I know!” 

“Did you get the tokens?” Big Richie asked. The Eddie’s nodded. “So did we. Man, fuck that clown.”

“Did you have a run in as well?” Eddie asked and the little Richie tried to calm down his Eddie. It seemed to be working. 

Richie nodded, “he sang that fucking song, he’s not even a good singer, and had this invite for my funeral. It was really fun for both of us.” Little Richie flinched at the mention of the song, Eddie caught it and was looking at him oddly, calmer now but still covered in vomit. “I told him to go fuck himself.”

“Same,” Big Eddie muttered before turning to his younger self. “Come on, let’s go and get clean. I hate this. Stupid fucking clown.”

“He’s not even a cool looking clown,” little Richie complained.

“You’re so dumb,” little Eddie replied but he was looking calmer than he was only a few minutes ago. 

“Yeah, but he is ugly.”

Big Richie nodded, “he is. He has no style, it’s sad.”

Both of the Eddies rolled their eyes; both the Eddies hide their grins. Both the Richies knew this and grinned to themselves because of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo we get some more internalised homophobia because that's fun. 
> 
> I'm not sure if this would be considered homophobic or what you'd call it but spoilers now::::: little Eddie and Richie get outed to everyone without permission (an accident but still not fun for anyone)

Inside the lobby the Stans sat with the Bills, the four of them talking amongst themselves, they didn’t look that traumatised. Both of the Eddies disappeared before anyone could ask and the Richies moved to join their friends. Stan, the young one, moved to give his Richie space on the sofa he and Bill were sitting on. Richie sent himself a look, the older one nodding. Stan knew. Stan didn’t care. Richie sat down beside him. 

“So, what happened?” Bill asked. “Get everything?”

“Yup, and got hate crimed for our troubles,” big Richie answered. “You guys?”

“T-t-the clown is a b-b-bastard. I w-want to hit him with a p-p-pipe.”

Little Richie high fived his friend. “And you will. I need to find that bat.”

“2016 is weird,” Stan said. “Did you guys see the Aladdin?”

“Th-there’s s-so many p-people in D-Derry now.”

“Well, I get famous so 2016 has that going for it.”

“Why would you tell him?” Bill asked big Richie. “He’s going to be annoying now.”

Before anyone could respond to that the door opened and the other six people came into the room. Bevs looked the worst out of all of them but Bens didn’t look great. Only the Mikes tokens were visible; a rock for the little one and a leather-bound notebook. They all collapsed in the lobby. The little Bev laying across the boys' laps, her head in Richie’s lap. The adult Bev lent her head on her Richie’s shoulder. She pulled out a cigarette, offering one to him but he shook his head. He had quit soon after he and Eddie had moved. Little Beverly and little Richie took one because they were from the ‘80s and not 2016 - Eddie was going to yell at Richie though, he always did.

Big Eddie came downstairs, clean and his hair wet. He sat on the other side of Richie. “Eddie is in the shower now.”

“What happened to you two?” Big Ben asked.

“Fucking leaper vomited on us.”

“Did you really strangle It?” Little Richie asked. Eddie nodded. “That’s fucking awesome!” 

Eddie shrugged. He looked tired like the morning had drowned his energy. The little Bev took out a phone, the older one shrugging. She started typing, showing Ben what she was doing. 

“So,” Eddie said, “did everyone get their tokens?” Everyone confirmed that they had, both young and old had done it. All of them bar Stan had run-ins with Pennywise but no one had gotten hurt. They went around and quickly explained what had happened to them, brief recounts of the encounters with the clown. Richie, the young one, was quick to tell everyone how brave he had been; saving the older one from the clown. The number of eye rolls from the older one suggested otherwise. 

“So now we get to go and fight the clown. In the sewers,” both Stan’s and Eddie made a face at Big Stan’s comment. 

“I say we just fuck it and go back to Califonia,” big Richie said. “I mean, I don’t really want to fight the motherfucker.” 

“No one wants to fight him,” Bill said. 

“And what about the kids?” Stan asked. “We can’t leave them here.”

“Adopt them. They look like they’re our kids.” 

“I think Patty might have something to say about that.”

Bev shrugged, still typing on the phone. “I like this year. I’d stay.”

“Your aunt might be annoyed,” Bev replied. 

“Kids go missing in Derry all the time,” she counted. “They’d forget about us.” 

The adults winced and the kids noticed. Stan was the one to ask what happened and it was Stan that answered. “We forgot each other,” the little losers looked confused, the big losers could understand. When they were young they were certain they’d be friends forever. “When you leave Derry, you end up forgetting about Derry so we didn’t remember each other anymore. We only just started remembering.” 

“We forget about each other?” Ben asked. Bev gripped his hand. 

“You don’t want to,” big Ben replied sadly. “We just did, almost as soon as we left.”

“Well that fucking sucks,” Richie replied. The adults nodded, it really did suck. 

“At least we know that,” little Ben said, “so that we won’t forget when we go back.”

All of the little ones beamed at him, nodding and agreeing that they wouldn’t. The older ones watched on in sadness. Once they were finished, Richie stood up. “Eddie’s taken about four hours which means one of two things: he’s dead, he’s having a panic attack about the whole demon clown thing or he’s freaking because he doesn’t have the right shower things because he’s weird like that. All you need is water.”

“You’re disgusting,” Stan muttered and Richie shrugged. 

“That’s t-t-three t-things.”

“Not everyone is a math genius,” Richie replied as he started to walk out. The young ones got up as well, following him. Richie and the other young ones were sitting so they were facing the door out to the hallway, while the adults had their back to it, so quickly the kids disappeared from their view. 

Bev pushed him, “you literally are?” 

“Oh shucks, what a sweetheart you are.” 

“We only know because you never shut up about it,” Stan replied. Richie probably made some other weird comment to annoy the others but it was lost as they moved down the hall and towards the kid Richie and Eddie’s room. 

The big Ben sighed once they were gone, “at least they’re together.”

“I can’t believe they’re not freaking out,” Mike said. “I would be.”

“Clearly not,” Bev replied. Mike laughed, shaking his head at her. Bill smiled at him, and it wasn’t exactly a friendly smile. Bev and Eddie shared a look that no one else saw. That was interesting and they would be talking about it later on. Demon clown, fight to the death in the sewers and time-travelling kids first; friend’s potential love life after. Even if the later was much more interesting. 

Richie flung his arm around Eddie, “I am so sick of Derry. When we get out of here we’re going to fucking New Zealand or something.”

“I’ve been asking you to take me there for so long. And all it took was a demon clown trying to kill us in our hometown? I should have guessed.”

“I can not believe that you didn’t change,” Stan said. “Nothing is different aside from the fact that Eddie doesn’t have a fanny pack.”

“And that’s the real tragedy here,” Richie replied. 

Ben was smiling at them, “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks,” Eddie smiled back at him. “We should have another wedding and invite you guys.”

“You should!” Bev said, “but I’m not coming if I’m not your maid of honour.”

“Whose?” Richie asked.

“Both of you,” Bev replied as if it were obvious. Richie and Eddie laughed, nodding in agreement. The other losers watched on their own smiles on their faces. They were in such an awful situation and facing death in only a few hours. It was nice to forget that and think about silly things - like Bev being both of the grooms' maid of honour. “And I think we should have Stan be the flower girl.”

Stan scoffed, “why would I want to come to your wedding?” 

“You’re just jealous that Eds and I are a better couple. Middle school sweethearts.”

“You got together in high school,” Bill replied.

“Not as romantic,” Richie dismissed before changing his voice slightly. “Oh, I fell in love with my husband in middle school when we were both repressed little gays living in a homophobic town. What was that? You meet yours on Tinder? Lovely.” 

The losers laughed. Even Stan, who liked to pretend that Richie wasn’t funny. The laughter was cut off quickly though. When, from behind them, there was a small: “what?” 

Everyone turned to look at Richie, the little one, who looked pale. He looked scared. His Eddie didn’t look any better, his eyes wide and was shaking slightly. Richie wasn’t looking at the adults when he spoke though; he was looking at Eddie standing beside them. He repeated himself. “What?” 

Before their older versions could explain both of them left. Eddie going back upstairs and Richie, having to push Bev and Stan away, left out the back door. 

“Shit!” Richie said afterwards. 

“I’ll go to him,” Eddie said standing. “You go upstairs.”

“Fuck!” Richie said again, already doing as he was told and heading towards the stairs. The door was closed but he could hear noises coming from inside. The number of times he had comforted a crying Eddie were uncountable. But they were always the same age then, not a fully grown man and a twelve-year-old. Richie had no idea how this was going to go. He pushed open the door anyway. Any variation of Eddie crying required Richie to make him laugh; even this one. 

“Hey, Eds.”

Eddie scrubbed under his eyes. His hair was still dripping and his inhaler sat beside him on the bed. “Hi.”

“Would you believe me if I said Bev was joking?” Richie asked as he sat down on the other bed. Eddie shook his head. “Figures, Eds never believes me either. You’ve always been too smart for me.”

“You’re married to him?” 

“Have been for nearly a decade. As soon as it became legal we went to the courthouse.”

Now fiddling with his inhaler, Eddie took a moment to reply. “So I am gay.” 

“I hope so,” Richie said, relaxing when Eddie laughed. “Yeah, you are. You’re just figuring out, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Richie’s already figured it out,” Richie said. Eddie looked surprised. “What? We’re gay as well. Which is good for you I guess since we’re married.” He still looked confused. “I figured it out last year, for you guys anyway. We were at a sleepover with Stan and Bill and were watching some dumb scary movie. You were holding my hand because you were scared but you didn’t want them to know. Me knowing, well you didn’t mind that. I think I fell in love with you right then and there.” 

“Really?”

Richie nodded, “yup. You’re cute, it’s not my fault.”

“This must be really weird for you.”

“Oh, it’s awful! I can deal with a demon clown hell-bent on killing me and making fun of me but having to see the kid I fell in love with? Awful. The worst.” Eddie laughed again. “And just so we’re clear; I was also a kid when I fell in love with you. I’m not a creep.”

“I mean I’m currently talking to my husband, who is an adult and from the future because we have to fight a clown in the sewers,” Eddie replied. “None of this is normal.”

Laughing, Richie nodded, “I guess so. If it makes you feel any better I am not attracted to you.”

“Beep beep,” Eddie muttered, he didn’t even mean to say it. “Sorry,” he was blushing now, just realising that this wasn’t his Richie he was talking to. 

“It’s fine, Eds beeps me all the time. Anyway, you’re cute but I’m kind of in love with your older self. He is my husband and all. Would it be cheating if it’s the same person?”

“It becomes legal?” Eddie asked, ignoring the question Richie had muttered. 

“Yup. 2008. We’ve been married for eight years in a few months.”

Eddie’s hands stilled. “Does my mom know?” 

“She does,” Richie said slowly. “You told her about two weeks before graduation.”

“I’m guessing she didn’t take it well.”

“You stayed with me and my parents until we left. She wanted to send you away and you just ran. Came straight to my house. I wasn’t even home, sorry, but mom was and she made you some of that fancy tea you like. They knew we were together.”

“And they don’t mind?”

“My mother yelled at us for about an hour because we didn’t invite her to the wedding.”

Smiling, Eddie placed the inhaler to his side. “I like your mom and dad.”

“Sometimes I think they like you more than me,” Richie said with a laugh but Eddie shook his head dramatically. “No? You don’t think so.”

“They love you so much,” he paused, “I should probably talk to Richie.”

“You are.”

“Is it going to be weird?” Eddie asked, ignoring the joke and looking worried again. “I mean we just found out that we’re going to get married and we didn’t even know we were gay! I don’t want us to be weird.” 

Richie grabbed little Eddie’s hand. God, he had forgotten how small they had been. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. He loves you. Richie won’t mind if you tell him that you just want to be friends. I promise. But if you want to go down there and kiss him I doubt he’d mind very much. Lord knows he won’t make the first move. Eddie had to with us, he just kissed me one day, told me it was to get me to shut up but I think it’s because he liked me.”

“It is,” Eddie muttered. “I think I like Richie. I do. That’s why, like, I thought I was straight but then I don’t think I am anymore. Bill and Ben, we’re talking about Bev and I just, didn’t really understand what the big deal was. But then I saw Richie and - and I just. It was the same as what they had said. That doesn’t even make sense.” 

“Sure it does.” 

“Should I talk to Richie now or after?”

“Whenever you want. Again, he will not make the first move.”

Eddie laughed, “I know. At least Richie stays hot, and he said that you’re famous so we’re probably rich.”

Before Richie could formulate a response to that he was gone, walking out of the room like a man on a mission. He had forgotten how inappropriate he and Eddie could be when they wanted to. Richie stood up and went downstairs as well. May as well have a drink after that fucking conversation. Eddie was right; it was really fucking weird having a conversation with his husband when he was twelve years old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, a kiwi: I will mention New Zealand in this fic.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hi, Richie.”

“I was expecting Richie to come.”

Eddie sat down on the step next to the young boy. “He’s up there with Eddie.”

“Good, that’s good. Is he okay?”

“He will be. Are you alright?”

“Peachy.”

“Richie, you can talk to me. And not because I’m an adult but because I’m Eddie. Just older.”

Laughing darkly, Richie nodded. “Yeah. You are. And we’re married.”

“You sound upset. From what I understand you have a crush on the Eddie upstairs already.”

“Yeah, and?”

“He has a crush on you too.”

Playing with the corner of his shirt Richie frowned, “Eddie’s not gay.” 

“I mean, he is. He just hasn’t quite realised it yet.”

“No. He isn’t, something’s gone wrong because Eddie is good. Oh, fuck. I did something to him! I made him sick and he’s going to hate me and his mom is going -”

“Richie! Breath! You’re okay, it’s okay. I promise,” Eddie interrupted. He stopped rambling, still fidgeting and after a moment slumped against Eddie’s side. In turn, Eddie started rubbing his back. Richie was crying, sobbing into Eddie’s shoulder and muttering about wanting to go home. Eddie could remember how this felt, to hate what was happening in your own head and heart, and these poor kids had a whole lot more to deal with as well - even more than he had and that was saying something. “You’re not sick, Richie, and neither am I because being gay isn’t a bad thing. You didn’t turn me gay, you were the reason I realised I was gay, but that’s just who I am. Are you alright?”

He pulled away, but not all the way. He was still pushed against Eddie. Rubbing under his eyes he nodded shakily. At least he wasn’t sobbing anymore. “Don’t tell the others that I cried. I need them to think I’m badass. That’s what other me said as well, about the gay thing.”

“He’s right. Neither of us are sick, okay? And we’re happy.” 

Richie nodded again. “I can’t believe Eddie’s gay. Well, I mean, I can believe it but I never thought it would be true.” 

“I do look gay, don’t I? I never even realised,” Eddie asked with the intention of making the younger boy laugh. Anything to make him happy. He worked; Richie started to laugh and grin, muttering something about fanny packs and short shorts with rainbow stripes. Eddie let him have his fun, rolling his eyes good-naturedly and batting his hands when Richie tried to poke him. “Are you alright now? I know that this is all a lot.”

“I’ll be okay. If I don’t die.”

“No one is going to die.”

“How do you know?”

“No one died last time, did they?”

He shook his head, “yeah, I guess not. So, we’re going to kill the clown and then we get to go home. When do we have to go to the sewers?”

“Mike said something about leaving tonight. He wanted to find some book before we left.”

“Cool, awesome. I’m going to, what did he call it?” Richie changed his voice, he wasn’t as good as the older one but it was still alright. “Hate crime that clown.” 

“You’re going to bully Pennywise?” 

Richie nodded, “yeah. Dumb ass motherfucker deserves it.” 

“I guess,” Eddie laughed. “Have fun with that.”

“Stan’s good at bullying. Maybe I’ll get him on it. Tag team the bitch.”

“I forgot how insane you are as a kid. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t get much better, but you’re crazy.”

Grinning, Richie nodded. “I’ve been told as such.” 

“We should go back inside, the others are probably wondering what happened.” 

“I bet they are. They just found that we’re getting married. Oh god, is this like some weird arranged marriage thing?”

“No, because you don’t have to marry him.”

Richie looked personally offended, “why wouldn’t I marry him?”

“You seem pretty freaked out.”

“I totally would right now. Alright, future husband, let’s go.” They stood up, dusting off their pants - why were the steps so dirty? Eddie hadn't even noticed. Once the door was opened they could hear the others talking in the lobby. They couldn’t hear little Eddie or the other Richie so either they were still upstairs or sitting silently, the former seemed more likely. “I mean, I clearly get lucky. Rich, famous, hot trophy husband! It’s great.”

Eddie shook his head as he followed Richie inside. 

All of the losers, minus little Richie and Eddie who had disappeared to their room, where back in the lobby. Bev had stolen Richie’s candy and the little ones where all snacking on it as they sat around (ie throwing it at each other and then eating it). Mike had a book open on the table, weird symbols and pictures adorning the pages. The big Bill was with them but was in a heated text conversation with his wife, and from the way it was going, soon to be ex-wife. The little Bill wasn’t too happy with that while little Stan looked rather pleased with himself. 

Just as Mike was about to begin speaking there was a crash behind them, Eddie laughing and Richie swearing. A moment later and they were walking into the room. No one mentioned that both of them had been crying. Richie collapsed on his Stan’s lap, Stan tried to push him off but Richie lay firm. “I am so sorry, my Stanley, that you don’t get to marry me!” 

“Who’d want to marry you?” Eddie asked, now sitting beside Bev who offered him some candy. He took two pieces, throwing one at Richie and keeping one. 

“You, dumbass,” Richie replied after catching the candy.

“Are you t-t-two finally t-together?” 

“Nope!” Both of them replied. Stan and Bill groaned, muttering about years of torment and suffering. Richie and Eddie just grinned at them. “We’ve got shit to worry about. Demon clown first, gay panic second. Speaking of, Stan, want to help me bully a clown?”

Shrugging, Stan stopped pushing Richie, “are you the clown?” 

“He is one,” Eddie said as he high fived Stan. “But no, we mean the ugly one.”

“I t-thought that w-was R-Richie?” 

“Okay,” Richie made a face at them. “Bully the gay one, I see.” Stan pushed Richie off him and onto the floor. Richie stayed there laughing and kicking at Ben’s ankles just to be annoying. 

“We need to go to Neilbot street,” Mike interrupted what Richie was going to say, lord knows that kid would never stop otherwise. “Go down into the sewers and then there’s a tunnel that leads to a deeper part. It’s like a cavern. Once we’re down there we do the ritual and then it should be over.” 

Bill looked annoyed, “please tell me you haven’t been down there? You seem to know where you’re going.”

“Uh, I went back once or twice.”

“What!” All of the adult losers looked pissed now. The younger ones were just watching them and eating their candy. Bill continued speaking; “why would you go back down there by yourself? What would have happened if you died or if It came back?”

Mike shook his head, “even if It wasn’t dead, It was sleeping. I was fine.”

“You went to the clown’s lair by yourself,” Richie said. “Jesus Christ, I struggle to go to the supermarket alone.” 

“That’s true.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Mike argued as Richie pouted at his husband. “He’s sleeping. Anyway, when we’re there you have to listen to me. If it doesn’t go right we’re just going to have a really pissed off clown wanting to kill us.”

“We have that now,” Stan replied. 

“He’s going to be like extra angry then,” Richie said. Stan rolled his eyes. 

Little Richie spoke up, still lying on the floor, “when do I get to call him names? I’m going to hate crime him.”

“Wh-what the h-hell, R-Richie?”

“Hate crime him because he hate crimed me,” Richie repeated as if that cleared it all up for everyone. “When can I do that, Large Mike.”

Little Mike made a face, “don’t call him that.”

“If I said Mike you might have answered.” 

“We have common sense, we would have known that you meant the older Mike!”

Small Stan shrugged, “maybe. But I mean, Bev and Richie once jumped off my roof to see who could go further. I don’t know if we all have that much common sense.” Both sets of Bev and Richie high fived each other. 

“Anyway, when can I hate crime him?” 

“I’m not sure. I’ll let you know when it’s time,” Mike answered. Little Richie looked pleased with that answer. “We should go soon. Who knows when It’s going to target the next child or us. Don’t forget your tokens and maybe some torches or something. It’s pretty fucking dark down there.” 

They split off, well the adults did. It wasn’t like the kids had come to 2016 prepared to fight the clown again. And while Eddie carried around a small first aid kit he didn’t have a torch or anything actually helpful. So the kids stayed in the lobby and at their candy, Richie still on the floor, while the adults scurried off to find and collect things that may help them fight the demon clown. 

“Any of you guys gonna hate on me for being gay?” Richie asked suddenly, “because I would like to know before the clown fight. That way I know who to run away from if we require a sacrifice.” 

“Me,” Eddie replied quickly. 

“No,” Stan rolled his eyes. “We’re not going to hate crime you.”

Richie cracked up laughing, looking up at Stan with a grin. “Awesome, thanks. Means a lot.”

“How are you feeling?” Bev asked, “I mean. We all just found out you two were gay by accident. Both of you.”

“Yeah, I just found out as well.”

“I knew,” Richie shrugged as best as he could since he was still laying down. “So, are you guys surprised that Eds and I get married?” 

Ben chuckled, shaking his head, “I thought you two were already dating.”

“What?” Eddie asked, looking shocked. 

“Yeah, same,” Mike replied. “I mean, you act like a couple.”

Stan nodded, “they’ve been like this for years. No, I am absolutely not surprised that you and Eddie end up together. I would have been more surprised if you didn’t.” 

“I t-though th-that as s-s-soon as they left D-Derry they’d s-s-s-start d-dating.” 

“Older Stan said they started dating before they left,” Stan said. Bill looked surprised, but not that surprised. 

“Back up,” Eddie said, “you thought we were dating?” 

“You constantly share the hammock and go on dates all the time,” Ben argued. “The first time I meet you guys, Eddie went and got two ice creams. Richie didn’t even ask and you didn’t get anyone else any.”

“Maybe that’s why we get bullied at school,” Richie muttered. “Interesting.”

Eddie still looked confused. “I can’t believe that you thought we were dating.”

“Richie sneaks into your room every night,” Mike said.

“No, I don’t sneak in on Wednesdays,” Richie replied. 

All of the losers looked at him, bar Eddie, like he was an idiot. Which he was used to, to be honest. But nevermind that. Okay, so everyone knew they liked each other and apparently they acted like a couple or whatever. At least they hadn’t dropped the two of them and had never, ever, made fun of either of them for their obvious crushes or the fact that said obvious crushes were of the gay kind. Richie could deal with that. 

“Y-you’re h-holding Eddie’s a-ankle.”

Huh, so he was. He hadn’t even noticed that he was. Interesting. He didn’t let go. “I’m making sure he doesn’t run away from me to go and date Hot Ben.”

“Dibs,” Bev said. Young Ben blushed, ducking his head. “You’re hot too, Ben, don’t listen to Richie.” Ben’s face got even redder. 

“Do you think big me and Eds are like, declaring their love right now or something?” 

“They’re married, they’ve already declared their love,” Stan replied. “Are you and little Eds going to declare your love?” The others laughed, Eddie blushed (cute!) and Richie looked at the ceiling. He couldn’t look at Eddie. Not right now seeing as he would probably combust if he even tried to. Love. Very interesting. 

“N-no t-time like the p-p-present.”

They were interrupted by some of the adults coming downstairs. Bill, Ben and Mike were first followed by Bev. The later throwing three flashlights at the younger losers. “Each room comes with one, I swiped those from the empty rooms.” 

“You don’t lose your touch,” Richie muttered to the young Bev. “Okay, dibs on a flashlight.”

“I want one!” Eddie said, reaching forward. 

Stan smacked at his hand. “You and Richie stand so close you don’t need your own. You two can share.” 

“You can’t hit gay people, Stan,” Richie said as he threw his flashlight up to Eddie. He caught it and sent Richie a smile. “It’s homophobic.”

“I swear I am going to kill you before the clown can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Richie: is outed to his friends  
Richie: let the Gay jokesTM begin 
> 
> I have some ideas for this fic but like, they're a bit wild. Should I go a bit weird and fun or like stick to, idk, physics?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing 'the eddies' or 'the richies' : 
> 
> My editing program: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!?! 
> 
> TW::::::: They face off against Pennywise and like, sad stuff happens.

All fourteen stared at the looming house for some time before any of them made the move to inside. The younger losers were standing in front of the adults, huddled together and completely ignoring the adults who were standing in a line behind them. Neibolt seemed even more fucked up now. Maybe it was because they knew how many dead kids were stashed under the grounds. 

“Oh fuck,” Big Bev sighed. “I don’t want to do this.”

“You don’t want to go and fight a demon space clown in the sewers?” Richie asked. “It’s my favourite pastime. Eds and I do it all the time in Cali.” 

“Chicago isn’t known for space demons.”

“Shame,” Richie muttered. “There is something that I would be happy to beat up for you.”

Beverly laughed, “I’ve got a Ben for that.”

“Eds packs a mean punch.”

“Only for you, baby.”

Little Mike wrapped his arms around Stan and only a fraction of a moment later all of them were joining in. They looked so sad. Like they knew something the adults didn’t. And, as it was, they kind of did. Their memories were still perfect; nightmares and flashbacks happening constantly. The adults had forgotten for years and still couldn’t remember a lot of their childhood. Especially if it was related to the clown. The adults looked away from the kids.

“You ready for this?” Bill asked. 

“No,” Richie, Eddie, Stan and Ben all reapplied. Beverly chuckled without any real humour.

“We can do this,” Mike said. “We’ve done it before and we can do it again. We even have help this time.” 

Richie leant down and kissed Eddie, intertwining their hands between them with their wedding rings clinking together when he did. Everyone looked away; giving them a moment of privacy. Richie rested his forehead against Eddie’s and smiled at him. Behind his glasses, tears had sprung up. He spoke softly and slowly so that it was only for them. “I love you so fucking much, Edward Tozier.” 

“That’s not my name.”

“I love you so fucking much, Eds Tozier.”

“I love you so fucking much, Richard Tozier.”

Riche smiled, “you didn’t say ‘but’ after it this time.”

“Because I don’t need to. I never did. Loving you is the easiest thing to do.”

“Don’t get sappy on me, baby.”

Eddie laughed, “you love it.”

“I really do. After this, I think we should go on holiday. Somewhere sunny.”

“That sounds perfect.”

It was little Bill who squared his shoulders and stepped up onto the porch. The children all following him instantly. 

“We just got shown up by children,” Richie said as the adults followed them into the house. 

“I think you said it best last time we were here,” Beverly said once everyone was in the entrance to the house.

“You’re lucky we’re not measuring dicks?” Little Richie asked. 

Big Richie flicked him in the back of the head. “Let’s kill this fucking clown.”

“That’s alright, I guess.”

There was a crash from behind them and then from in front of them. Many of the losers screamed, adults and children alike. Lots of them were holding hands now; not wanting to get separated. And, of course, they almost instantly they got separated and split up. Both Richies and Eddies in one room, Bills and Stans in the others. The Bevs, Mikes and Bens somewhere else in the house. 

Big Eddie was currently standing in front of both children while his husband braved opening the only door in the room. It had no writing on it and just looked like a normal door but considering the fact the door that had come through had disappeared anything could go here. From somewhere else in the house they could hear screaming, little Eddie and Richie were holding hands and Big Eddie wished he was holding his Richie’s hand. 

Richie swung the door open, stepping back quickly. “Subtle.”

In front of them was a closet. Richie’s closet from high school to be exact. His shirts hanging up, one of Eddie’s jumpers was in there as well. His school back and a whole lot of notes were scattered along the floor. Richie reached in and turned the light on. On the back wall of the closet were pictures of Eddie and Richie - both young and old. Like, really young; when they first meet young to in the inn that morning. 

“Eds, we have a stalker,” Richie said before screaming and jumping back. Pennywise was standing there, grinning at them. “What the fuck!”

“Heya boys!”

“You’re a creep,” Big Richie said. “Also, this doesn’t even make any sense because Eds and I are out. So your stalker photos are rubbish.”

Pennywise tutted, frowning at big Richie. Then he turned to the little one. “Want to play truth or dare?”

“Sure. What are you going to do? Dare me to tell Eds I like him? He already knows! Hey Eds, I have a crush on you.”

“I have a crush on you too, Richie.” 

“You’re sick,” Pennywise said, still looking at little Richie. 

“No, he’s not!” Little Eddie yelled. “We’re not sick!”

From inside the closest Sonia’s voice rang out, calling for EddieBear. Both of the Eddie’s froze up. One because he hadn’t heard that voice in years and the other because that was the voice of his very current abuse. She started one of her rants; about how Richie had made him sick. So very sick. Look at him holding hands with a boy, only sick little boys did that, didn’t you know that Eddie? Pennywise grinned at him. 

“He isn’t sick!” Big Richie said, cutting Sonia off. Her voice disappearing as his started up. 

“But he’s still going to die.”

The closet door slammed shut just as the door behind them slammed open. The door that hadn’t been there a second ago. The closet door swung open again, it leads to the hallway now. All of them screamed and turned around with a jump. Bev was standing there, Ben being held up by Mike and their littles behind them. 

“You look like shit, Ben,” Big Richie said. 

“Feel like it.”

Big Richie pulled his Eddie into a hug. Eddie, who hadn’t moved since he heard his mother’s voice, got shocked into returning it. Once Richie was satisfied his husband was at least a little bit okay he turned to the young ones. “Are you two okay?”

“Yeah,” Richie replied shakily. They were holding hands again. 

“We need to find Stan and Bill,” big Mike said. 

As he spoke they stumbled into the room from the other door. Big Stan looked pale and little Bill was crying but none of them looked physically hurt. Little Eddie pulled away from Richie to hug Bill while Big Richie slung his arm around Stan. “What happened, Stan the man?”

“Patty. He showed me a dead Patty.”

“She’s not real,” Bev said sternly. All of them had moved closer together. “She is safe and in Atlanta right now, she is not in Derry no matter what he says. Alright?” 

Stan nodded, evening out his breathing. “Still hurt.”

“Bill?” Eddie asked gently, the adults turned to watch them. All of the kids had converged to stand around Bill and Eddie, “what happened?” 

“Georgie was calling out for me. I couldn’t save him.”

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear but it’s the truth,” Stan said to his friend, he walked a fine line between stern and soft. “Georgie is dead. He’s been dead for a long time, Bill. And it wasn’t your fault but you don’t believe that so there’s no point in me saying it to you. But he is dead. Don’t let him use Georgie to hurt you anymore. Georgie wouldn’t want that for you, because he loved you. You know that.”

Bill stopped crying and nodded, whipping at his eyes. “He’s dead. He’s not here.”

“And he loved you, so much,” Richie said. Stan and Eddie nodded. 

“And I love him. But he’s gone and that’s, it’s okay.” 

“Let’s go fuck up that clown,” Eddie said, “we can get a few hits in for him.”

The young losers split off, turning to face the adults. “So, what happened to you, big Haystack? You’re bleeding.”

“Pointing out the obvious there, Richie,” Eddie muttered. 

“It decided to use me as a carving board,” Big Ben told all of them. 

“Traumatic,” little Richie nodded. Both little Stan and Eddie elbowed him but big Ben just laughed at the comment. 

“What happened to you guys?” Big Mike asked Richie and Eddie. 

Big Richie shrugged, “homophobia. Shall we?” 

~

The sewers were as gross as they remembered. They waded through waist-high water with both Eddies muttering about greywater and diseases and other nasty stuff. But they got to the nest-thing without too much happening; aside from Bev nearly drowning but that was pretty standard to be fair. Eddie, the older one, had a moment of panic when he couldn’t throw himself into the water like the others. Richie had pulled him to the side and talked to him. 

‘You’re braver than you think.’ 

Mike pulled out the box and they threw their tokens in. One by one. An inhaler, a boat, a notebook. Everyone had their go. Then the lights were too fucking bright and they were yelling while holding hands. That’s when it turned to shit. The ritual didn’t work. Like at all. And now, as guessed, they were facing a really pissed of clown who was hell-bent on killing them all one by one. Horribly, as well. So that’s fun. 

They all ran in different directions once they were chased. Big Mike and Bill stayed close, so did both sets of Richie and Eddie as well as Ben and Beverly. Everyone was screaming and yelling. 

It got quite. Beverly was still screaming but it sounded far away. And Mike was yelling to Bill but it wasn’t as bad as before. Pennywise was still there; waving his tentacle-things around and taunting them as best that he could. Abusive parents or partners? You bet he was bringing it up. Internal hatred? That was there. Fear of abandonment? Check. Terrified of losing your loved ones? Hey look, there’s your dead partner right in front of you. Don’t like spiders? Tough fucking luck, look, he’s a spider now motherfucker.

Richie was standing on a ledge, Eddie not far behind him. Pennywise wasn’t facing them so they got a moment of peace. But Pennywise was facing their younger selves. Who were clutching each other and screaming. A god awful tentacle was raised above him like he was going to swing it down and hit the children. Richie wasn’t letting any more kids die at the hand of this ugly motherfucker. So he did what anyone would do. He threw a rock.

“Here’s the truth: You’re a sloppy bitch!” 

Pennywise turned to him. He saw the kids escape and heard Eddie call his name. Then he was floating. It was silent suddenly, and he wasn’t in the sewers anymore. He was in their house in California, Eddie was reading over some of his new material and Richie was ordering their dinner. It was all Richie wanted to do; be with Eddie and be happy. They had been happy, before the call. There had been something missing but they had been happy at the end of the day. 

And then the fantasy was gone. Popped like a red balloon. He was flung backwards, hitting the floor and groaning. He was alone for a second before Eddie straddled him. Eddie was smiling and in Richie’s confused state he was just happy that Eddie was happy. “I think I killed it!”

Someone screamed.

From then on Richie’s memory becomes hazy and unfocused. Like he was asleep for some parts of it. Actually, no, he can remember Eddie being lifted off him, tentacle through his body and his broken; “Richie?” Can remember the overwhelming dread he felt as he watched the love of his life being lifted off him and blood pouring out of his mouth. The urge to reach out and grab him and how frozen he was against the rocks. And he can clearly remember Eddie being flung through the air. 

Then it becomes hazy. 

He must move at some point because now he’s kneeling over Eddie. All of them are there now. Big Bev is covered in blood and Big Ben is covered in dirt but it doesn’t even cross Richie’s mind that they are. Because Eddie is dying right in front of him. He pushes his jacket onto the wound but even he knows that’s a piece of shit idea. People are yelling at him but he doesn’t listen to them. 

This part is clear as well: 

Eddie lifted his hand and placed it on Richie’s cheek. Richie sobbed. “I love you.”

“I love you too. But you’re going to be fine! Don’t worry and don’t move.”

“You said but.”

“Sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Eds.”

Evey blinks becomes slower. “I made him small. In the chemist. I made him small and he got hurt.”

This bit isn’t as clear again: “We need-” the others are talking again. Richie isn’t listening to them at all. For all, he knows they’ve won. It doesn’t matter to him. He’s focusing on his Eds and nothing else. Vaguely he’s aware their kids are crying beside him; both of them. “-laws of nature-” Richie brushed some dirty of Eddie’s face. People are moving behind him, and then they’re screaming. “-more than one way-”. 

Clear: Eddie is staring at Richie as well. God, Richie was one lucky bastard. 

“You need to help them,” Eddie said. Richie hadn’t even noticed they had gone. All of them aside from their young ones. “All of you. It won’t work otherwise.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Not clear: they bully the clown. Richie rips a tentacle off. Little Richie is crying. Big Richie isn’t. The clown is talking and Richie isn’t listening. Mike reaches forward and pulls out his black and small heart. It’s finished. 

Clear: Richie running back to Eddie. 

Very clear: Eddie isn’t moving. Why the fuck isn’t he moving?

Not clear: Ben is carrying Eddie and someone is dragging Richie. Both Beverlys are pulling young Richie and Eddie up and away from big Richie, Ben and Eddie. 

Not clear: how the fuck they get out of there. 

Clear as fuck: Eddie’s still breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the clown is defeated. Yes, I am currently writing chapter 16. Yes, the story is now about the Losers. RIP pussywise


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early chapter because I love you all

When Eddie first opened his eyes he was blinded by white light causing him to groan and snap his eyes closed again. There was some movement bedside him and then a hand on his cheek. It felt warm against his cold skin. He felt like was stuck in the fog that covered their house on some winter mornings. Nothing was clear as he laid on a soft surface with a sore body and a hand on his cheek. 

“Eds?”

Richie.

“You’re alright, we’re in the hospital and I just called the doctor in, okay?. We won, Eds, we won. Everyone’s okay and are waiting for you at the inn. You just need to rest now, okay? So that you can get better.” 

Won what? Why did he need to rest or get better? Why wasn’t Richie making any sense to him? 

Every part of Eddie’s body hurt and he couldn’t focus on anything. Least of all Richie’s random message. There was some more movement and low talking that he couldn’t make out. Didn’t have the mental capacity to try either. He still hadn’t opened his eyes, the light in the room still bring even with closed eyes. The hand didn’t leave his cheek and another one had started stroking his hair. Eddie liked it a lot. 

He was so tired and his body felt like it weighed a thousand tones. His stomach was sore and his head hurt. So Eddie decided to go back to sleep. As he drifted off the hands stayed close to him, and for that he was grateful. 

~

As soon as Eddie had gone back to sleep he text the group chat that had been started. It was a weight off everyone; they had all been so worried. The kids and adults alike. Beverly promised that she would tell them that Eddie was okay. Big Mike and Ben were downstairs in the cafeteria and were quick to come up. They had been taking it in turns to stay with Richie as he sat with Eddie. 

It had been four days since It had happened. 

Richie had climbed into an ambulance with Eddie, pleading with him to wake up and be okay so they could go back to California together. So they could go to New Zealand and have their second wedding: a big one with all their friends there. The other losers had gone back to the hotel. It wasn’t like they could all wait in the hospital and all of them were filthy. He hadn’t left the hospital yet. He had sat in the waiting room for hours, still covered in sewage and Eddie’s blood before Stan had arrived with a new change of clothes and had convinced the nurse to let him use a patient shower. 

Since then there was always one adult loser with him, aside from at night when he lay down next to Eddie in the bed and ignored the looks he got from the nurses. He wasn’t leaving Eddie’s side ever again. 

“Here,” Mike said as he handed Richie a sandwich. 

“We talked to the nurse on our way up,” Ben said as Richie unenthusiastically ate the sandwich. He only ate it because he knew Bev or Stan or both would yell at him if he didn’t, from experience. “She said they’ve put Eddie back to sleep. Won’t wear off for at least five hours.”

“I know, they told me.”

“Richie.”

“No.”

Mike and Ben looked at each other before Mike turned back to Richie. “Go and have a shower and a power nap. If he sees you like this we’re all going to be in trouble for not looking after you. And I don’t want Eddie to yell at me, he’s kind of scary.”

“He’s really scary.” Richie paused, sobbed, and then said, “he’s the best.” 

“We don’t need to worry him,” Ben said as he rubbed Richie’s back. “Go and get presentable for him.” 

“Promise me that you’ll call if anything happens,” Richie demanded. Both of them nodded seriously. Richie pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead before fixing the bedsheets around him and straightening his gown. “And keep the lights down low and don’t be too loud. I’ll be back before he wakes up. I love you, Eds.”

~

Apparently the others knew that Richie was coming because as soon as he pulled into the inn little Richie and Eddie ran out, Big Bev hot on their heels. Through the door, he could see everyone else waiting. He parked the car and sighed before getting out. Beverly had managed to stop the young ones a few feet away from the car but that wasn’t stopping them from speaking. “He’s okay?”

“Yeah,” Richie nodded at his younger self. “He woke up for a little but they put him back to sleep for a few hours.”

“Why did they do that?”

“He’s not ready to be awake yet.

Beverly interrupted little Richie from asking another question. “Why don’t we go inside? I think Richie needs to have a shower and you guys didn’t finish your lunch.”

“You’re a good mom.”

“You should see Ben with them.” 

They got inside and Richie was pulled in for a hug by Stan. He took it. It was nice for the person he was hugging to actually hold him back. Apparently the inn was abandoned and so the losers had decided to take the lobby as their own space. The kids were sitting on the floor with take out in between them but were watching the adults, little Richie and Eddie going over to join them once they were inside. Little Eddie whispered something to them and they all looked happier for it. 

Richie collapsed onto one of the vacant sofas and folded his arms over his face, the adult losers sitting around him. A phone beeped but it wasn’t his so Richie ignored it. “If you want to ask me a question ask me now or I will fall asleep on this ugly sofa. And if the question is any variation on ‘how are you?’ I will vomit.” 

“Have you talked to your manager?” Stan asked.

Nodding, Richie took his arms away from his face. “I called him yesterday. Said that Eds was hurt and we were stuck in Maine. He was pretty pissed before, seeing as we kind of just ran away and had to cancel a show but with Eddie hurt he can use that. Say that he got hurt before the show or something. And I called the hospital where Eddie works, they’ve given him extended leave, we’ll see what happens there later.” 

“What did the nurses say will happen now?” Bill asked. 

“That he should wake up in five hours and that he may be paralysed but they can’t know that yet. He’s going to have to have another blood transfusion at some point because he lost a lot of blood and he’s going to be sore but he should be okay. They’re making sure it doesn’t get infected.” 

“Did they say when he can go back to California?” Bev asked. Richie shook his head. “I guess you have to wait until he wakes up.”

“The sooner the better. If I have to buy a private plane, I will.” 

“We can afford a private plane?” Little Richie asked, leaning closer to the adults. The other little losers rolled their eyes but looked interested in the answer. 

Big Richie shrugged, “yeah, we could if we wanted to I guess.”

“And we haven’t?!”

“We married Eddie. He cares about taxes and bonds or whatever.”

“That makes sense,” Richie nodded, causing little Eddie to look rather offended while the others laughed. “When can we go and see slightly larger Eddie?” 

“I’ll see how he is when he wakes up. He might be up for visitors or he might not. We’ll have to figure it out as we go,” Richie replied as calmly as he could. The idea that Eddie was in such a bad way that he couldn’t see people made his heart hurt. Little Richie nodded in understanding as big Richie stood up. Hie entire body popped - that’s what happened when you were forty and didn’t move for four days. “I’m going to go and have a shower before heading back. If Eddie wakes up before I’m there I am suing.” 

Stan looked confused, “who? Eddie or the hospital?”

“Suing Eddie would be dumb. We have a joint account.” 

“Right,” Stan nodded as if it all made sense and then Richie disappeared up to his bedroom to shower. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Yeah,” Bev said.

Bill smiled at Stan, “he’ll be okay once he knows Eddie is. Was that Patty before?”

“Yes. She was just checking in to make sure I was okay.”

“What did you tell her?” Little Stan asked.

“The truth. She doesn’t believe me but I told her everything.”

“She’s gonna commit you,” little Richie declared. “She’s gonna think you’re insane.” 

Stan laughed lightly, “I’ll show her a picture of little Stan. And she’s a fan of Bill so I’ll get his autograph to make up for it.” 

“I do it for Patty and not for you.” 

“I know I’m no Mike but we are best friends.”

Blushing, big Bill stuttered out; “S-shut up S-Stan.” 

~

Richie was actually clean for the first time since the sewers and got to choose his own outfit as well. And sure, it was nice, but was it worth being away from Eddie for (so far) 54 minutes? No, absolutely not. No way in hell. His hair was freshly dried and he was heading downstairs so that he could go to the hospital and try to kick Mike and Ben out. He was stopped in his tracks, however, when he heard crying coming from little Richie and Eddie’s room. It was Eddie, he could tell. It was hardly even a decision to go over and knock on the door. He had only been gone for 55 minutes and Eddie wasn’t due to wake up for 245 more. 

“Eds? Are you okay? Can I come in?” Richie called out, getting a small reply that he could come in. Eddie was sitting on one of the two single beds. Only one looked slept in. And he was crying with his inhaler sitting beside him. Richie sat down beside him. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared,” Eddie admitted after some time remaining silent. 

“Because of big Eddie? Because he’s going to be fine.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to go home.”

“You don’t want to go home?” 

“My mother has lied to me my entire life. When I first found out I thought it was because she loved me and just had a weird way of showing it. But you love me, or the big me anyway, and you don’t treat him badly because of it. I guess it’s just freaked me out. And knowing that Richie and I can’t be out or we’ll be killed at worst but fucked over no matter what. My mother would probably be the one that killed me if she found out.” 

Richie wrapped Eddie up in his arms. These poor kids. “I can’t say that your mother loves you. I can’t say that she was anything but abusive to you and the effects of that ever go away but I can say that you’re brave. You’re brave and Richie loves you and the losers all love you as well. Living in hiding is the worst, I’m not going to lie, but at the end of it you come out and the majority of people are okay with it. You’re happy Eds, I promise you that.”

“Why can’t we stay here?” Eddie sighed sadly. “No. Richie wouldn’t be happy; he’d miss his parents too much.”

“You little weirdos have grown on me,” Richie confided. “I’m going to be sad when you go home. Maybe I can convince Eds to let me get two cats and call them Little Eddie and Little Richie.” 

Eddie laughed, “make them dogs so that you can call for them. And then if someone recognizes you they’ll know you named your dogs after yourself.”

“That’s a perfect idea. Where are the others? How is little Richie not here annoying you until you stop crying?”

“They’re getting ice cream. All of them went because Richie tried to get on the roof and big Stan thought that he needed to go on a walk.”

“He would always make me go for a walk when I got too crazy.” 

“Yeah, I know. And it works.”

Richie laughed, nodding once in agreement. “Come on, Little Eds, grab your shoes. I’ll drop you off at the ice cream store. Wouldn’t want you to miss it.”

“Big Eddie will be okay, won’t he?” Eddie asked as he did as he was told. 

“Promise. You’re both so brave and strong, no way is pussywise going to kill him.”

“That was Richie’s joke.”

“No ice cream for you. And I am Richie so it’s mine as well. That’s how it works.”

Laughing, Eddie stood up after putting on his shoes. Someone must have taken them shopping because he was wearing new, modern, clothes and not his sewage and vomit stained shirt. “We watched the Ice Age series last night.”

“Yeah?”

“Richie was so happy when we figured out you were in it.”

“I was in Ice Age?”

Eddie nearly turned purple the way he laughed. Poor kid must be fried; it wasn’t even a joke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Eddie is not going to bounce back and be good. He's got some physical therapy and he is going to be in a wheelchair. However, I am not in a wheelchair so if I do/write anything that's not cool or offensive please let me know and I will change it asap because I am not trying to be a dick about this!


	9. Chapter 9

The second time Eddie woke up was a lot nicer. Not only were the lights turned right down but he was actually lucid. He knew that he was in the hospital before he even opened his eyes and he knew that Richie was sitting beside him. So yeah, overall, a much better experience. 

“Eds,” Richie whispered. “You’re awake.”

Eddie hummed. His throat felt like he had screamed for three hours straight before swallowing sandpaper. Not pleasant. So he wasn’t about to start talking. Richie shifted and then Eddie was being smothered. Richie had started sobbing; hot, wet tears falling into Eddie’s neck. He reached up slowly, so slowly, and ran his hands through Richie’s hair. He had been doing that exact same thing since he was a child and it has always worked. Today was no different. 

A nurse and doctor came into the room and Richie was forced to move. They checked some charts and asked Eddie some yes or no questions to which he could answer after he refused to talk. They spoke in low tones, thank god, and let Richie stay right by his side so they could keep holding hands. He didn’t think they’d ever never stop holding hands. Eddie would be on stage with Richie, just sitting on a stool but they’d be holding hands.

“Rest up, Eddie,” the nurse said after the doctor had left. “We’ve got you on some pain meds but try not to move or do anything too intense. And Richie, try not to suffocate him, we spent a long time in surgery and I don’t want my hard work going down the drain.” 

“I can’t promise anything,” Richie replied. The nurse laughed, shaking her head before walking out. Richie turned back to Eddie, the biggest smile on his face. “Thought I lost you for a bit there.”

Eddie shook his head, smiled back at his husband. How lucky he was. 

“We won, Eds, we finished it. We bullied the clown to death,” he laughed at Eddie’s annoyed look. “I am dead serious, we bullied him! You can ask Stan or something. Turns out you can make a clown small and then rip out his heart. So we killed him and then Ben carried you out, you lucky bastard. What I would give to be carried by that man. Oh, and everyone is fine and at the inn waiting to see you.” 

Placing his hand on Richie’s cheek, Eddie nodded. He understood. 

“The kids are still here.”

Now Eddie was confused. Why wouldn’t they go back? They had bet the clown, they had done what they had come to do, shouldn’t they be allowed to go home? He tried to communicate this, and luckily Richie was good at reading him. 

“We don’t know. Mike’s been tits deep in research the past few days but so far we’ve found nothing. Ben thought that maybe they would be able to go back once they knew you were okay, almost like they haven’t finished. I think all of them are happy they’re still here though, they were really freaked out about everything. Which is fair, I am as well. You should see Beverly with them, she’s a little mom but Ben, oh my god, he’s literally just a dad. It’s weird. I think I’m okay with them. I was able to calm little Eddie down and when we got ice cream before, only because they forced me not because I wanted to be away from you, I actually spent some time with them. Man, you put up with a lot when we were young.”

Eddie tapped Richie’s cheek: You’re rambling. 

“Right, sorry.”

A smile: It’s fine. 

“God Eds, I missed you so much. I think I had about three mental breakdowns a day. Oh, and I called work for us and explained as much as I could. No need to worry.” 

Tap: Thank you.

“It’s fine. I was so worried. I thought I had lost you. I cried so fucking much, it was so embarrassing for everyone. I think the nurses think I’m insane or something.”

Wink: You are. 

“Yeah, yeah. Tease your husband who just slept in a hospital for four days,” Richie muttered, Eddie didn’t look too happy with that. Right, he didn’t actually know how long he had been out yet. Richie kissed his forehead, not letting the hand drop from his cheek. “Yeah. It’s been four days. Sorry for not telling you sooner. Uh, and there’s some other stuff that I really don’t want to say but I’m your husband so I guess it’s my job to tell you. Even though it really fucking sucks and I would happily fight the clown again if it meant I could kill it again.” 

Double-tap: Richie, calm down. 

“Right,” he took a deep breath. “The - the claw? Tentacle? The thing? Yeah, the tentacle hit your spine and when Ben carried you up he didn’t make it any better you know? They’re going to have to make sure so don’t freak out too badly but it might be that, shit, fuck! It might mean that, I’m sorry Eds, I-”

Tap: I got it. 

“It’ll be okay.”

Smile: yeah, it will.

“To be honest I will be really happy if I have to carry you ever were.”

Eye roll: Like you could.

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

~

“The nurses are going to hate us,” Stan muttered as all twelve of them walked up to Eddie’s room. 

“They already hate us,” Beverly shrugged.

“One of them has a crush on big me!” Richie said happily. “So she doesn’t hate us!”

They got to Eddie’s room then, big Richie waiting for them outside. He looked antsy like he didn’t want to be away from Eddie for any amount of time. But he still grinned when he saw them walking down the hall. The adult losers all had their time hugging him before he spoke to them all. “Keep your voices low, loud noises are still a problem. And try not to crowd him, hugs are okay but be gentle. And Richie, please don’t ask any more dumb questions. I will throw you out the window.”

“Wh-what d-d-did you d-do?” 

“Nothing, Big Richie totally overreacted.”

“I did not.”

“Okay,” Mike interrupted. “I know you’ve seen him but I’d like to see my friend now.”

That was true. Eddie had been awake for two days and so far had only seen little Eddie and Richie and big Bill and Bev. And Richie. He’d wanted to see the others but could only manage two at a time (three, to be correct, seeing as Richie never left) until today when he decided that they could all come. Richie nodded, “yeah. He’s excited to see you guys as well. Okay, let’s go.” 

Eddie was laying in his bed, because he was not allowed to sit up yet, so he was still flat, but he was smiling. All of them filed into the room, big Richie going to his chair beside Eddie’s head on the left side. He was suddenly very thankful that he Derry hospital had private rooms. It wouldn't work as well if they were in those tiny rooms downstairs. Eddie found his hand on the bed but was still looking at their friends. 

“Hey.”

Stan was the first to break, sobbing as soon as Eddie spoke. He moved to stand beside Eddie’s other side and grab his other hand. “Hey, Eddie. How are you?” 

“Me? I’m great. Nothing like a good puncture to make a holiday perfect.” 

“I see you haven’t gotten any funnier.”

“You can’t be mean to him while he’s on a hospital bed,” Bill said. All of the losers had created a loose semicircle around the bed. Little Richie and Eddie up by big Richie. Big Mike and Bill were standing close together as well, hands almost touching. Big Eddie and Bev shared another look; that was new. Richie caught it this time, laughing at them and shaking his head. 

“That means I’m directing all of my hate towards Richie.”

“Bring it.”

Ben laughed, “maybe save it for later. When we can’t get kicked out before we even arrived.”

“So wise,” Richie replied. "And so handsome."

“Did the results come back?” Little Eddie asked, clearly annoyed that they were chatting when that was at hand. His Richie rubbed his back but looked just as worried. “Do you know yet?”

“Kind of,” Eddie nodded and then sighed. Only Richie and he knew the news. They hadn’t told anyone anything yet. Not only was it hard to say but Eddie had wanted everyone together when he said it and Richie wasn’t about to make him do anything he didn’t want to, ever. “It’s not great. They’ve suggested physical therapy but they weren’t positive that it would even help. They’re running more tests now because the first ones weren’t conclusive but. And I’m going to be here for a long time, more than I should be due to the nature of the injury. I won’t bore you with the technical stuff.” 

A silence fell over the room before little Richie said; “we can paint your wheelchair. Make it awesome. Maybe a clown on one of the wheels.”

“Beep beep!” Nearly everyone in the room shouted at the child. The Eddie’s didn’t; both of them were trying not to laugh. The older one wasn’t very successful and Richie sent a proud look to all of the adults in the room. Older Richie looked on in distaste, “was I really this bad?”

“Yeah,” Stan and Bill said. The others nodded. 

“Still are,” Eddie replied. 

“Am not!” 

Eddie rolled his eyes, “you were thinking the same thing.”

“I was not.” 

“You’re really going to lie to your husband who is on a hospital bed after nearly dying?”

Richie sighed, “fine. I think it’s a great idea.” 

“How are you still married to him?” Stan asked seriously. Eddie laughed.

The door opened and a nurse walked in, stopping in her tracks when she saw all of the people in the room. She pointed at big Richie with a sigh; “you owe me an autograph and a bar of chocolate.”

“Yes, ma’am!” 

~

Later on, after everyone had gone back to the inn, Richie lay in Eddie’s bed. Sure, they weren’t actually allowed to do this but they hadn’t been allowed to do it when they were kids either so that didn’t matter to them. Richie was playing with Eddie’s hair while Eddie twisted his wedding ring around and around on his finger. “Please tell me you’re not about to pull it off and dramatically throw it away.” 

“I will if you stop playing with my hair.”

“Deal. What’s on your mind?”

“Are we going to have to move house?”

Richie looked down at him, “why would we need to do that?”

“We don’t have, like, a ramp or anything.”

“I showed Ben some pictures. He said it would be an easy fix. No worries.” 

Eddie nodded against Richie’s chest. “Sucks that we can’t have sex though.” 

“Yeah, that is worries.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Hush. Let your husband be funny.”

“I would, if he was,” Eddie replied quickly but he was smiling. Richie knew that Eddie found his funny. And yeah, his career relied on others finding him funny, but if only Eddie found him funny then Richie could die happy. Eddie laughing at his jokes was the highlight of any week he ever had. Richie flicked him though because that’s what they did. Eddie poked him in retaliation. God Richie was so fucking lucky. “Are you worried about the kids?” 

Richie frowned, “in general? I’m worried about myself, yes. Little freak.”

“No, how they’re still here. Bill told me that you guys have no idea why they’re here or how to get them back.”

“Fucking Bill. I told them to keep it light.” 

“I know, I pestered him.”

“Of course you did,” Richie sighed. “Yeah, we’re a bit worried. The kids aren’t, they’re having a blast. I think the only problem they have is that stuff is expensive now. Did little Eddie tell you?”

Eddie nodded, “about their date? He was very excited.” 

“Baby Riche told me that they wanted to go on one date before they went back to ‘89 and couldn’t. He has spent so much of our money.”

“That’s sweet.”

“Baby Eddie doesn’t want to go back.”

Humming, Eddie pushed closer to Richie. “I can see why.”

“Mike’s still looking into it. We’ll see what happens.”

“Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.”

“Very positive for someone who was skewered by a clown.” 

“Jesus Christ, Rich, what the fuck?” 

“I don’t know, I’m tired.”

Eddie hummed again, “go to sleep then. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Better fucking be. And that ring better be on your finger.”

“Death do us part, right?”

“Nah.”

Laughing, Eddie looked up at him, “no?”

“You died for a bit, Eds, and we’re still married. So no. Nothing do us part, ever. You’re not allowed to leave me because I would literally die. I don’t know how much cough medicine to use. I’d probably overdose on over the counter cough syrup. And that would suck because that shit is nasty. I can see the headlines now,” he switched his voice so he sounded like a ‘20s radio host: “Recently divorced and now failed comedian Richie Tozier found dead in his apartment, overdosed on Robitussin, more at ten.”

“You didn’t even make the six o’clock news.”

Richie nodded sadly, “my life took a downward spiral. There was some drama because I threw things at a car on the freeway.” 

“What?”

“Yeah. I am not having a good time in this timeline. I cry myself to sleep every night.”

“I guess I can’t leave you, then. There go my plans for tomorrow I guess.”

“Thanks, baby. You’re the best.”

“Don’t forget it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are of Eddie in the hospital but they WILL get out of Derry. 
> 
> Coming up... a flashback and Richie trying to deal with seven small bastards.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so hi
> 
> yeah it's been a hot minute but basically I'm currently in Ireland (Dublin tbh) and am about to go to France, remember I am from New Zealand so like it's a while from home. 
> 
> I've been busy lmao but here's a chapter and I'll update the next one when I have wifi next! 
> 
> Oh and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Great New Year!!

**Derry, Loser’s Clubhouse, 1989.**

“Do you guys dream?” Stan asked them suddenly. They’d been sitting around, messing around and being the eleven-year-olds they were, when he had asked. All of them turned all of their attention to the boy sitting hunched in on himself on the bottom rung of the ladder under the hatch. “About, you know, It.”

“Yeah,” Mike said.

Ben nodded, “I do. Most nights.”

“I’ve had dreams that we’re adults,” Bev admitted. “And we fight it again. When we’re older, I mean.” 

_ Stan, laying in a red-tinted bathtub. Eddie propped up against a dirty wall with Richie sobbing over him.  _

“M-most nights I d-d-dream about Ju-Georgie. S-sometimes It is t-there.”

_ Georgie, begging for Bill to take him. Someone laughing in the background, telling Bill to be a good big brother.  _

“Every night I dream about him when I was alone and he had - my face and it always scares me. I wake up and can feel It, as if I’m still down there. I can’t stop dreaming it though. It’s the same every night,” Stan rushed out, not looking at any of them. His shower cap was on his head and tears were gathering in his eyes. Mike moved over and put his arm around Stan’s shoulders. “I can’t stop the fear that I feel when I wake up.”

_ Laying against the cold, wet floor, screaming as teeth latch onto his face and three lights blind him. Alone and scared.  _

Mike sighed, “I’m sorry, Stan. Usually I just dream that we’re wandering around the sewers, I don’t know what we’re doing down there.”

_ Spilt up. Together. Holding random objects and running. All of them yelling and crying. No way out of the sewers. No way out. _

“I dream that we lose. Sometimes one of us dies,” Ben admitted quietly. 

_ Beverly doesn’t know him, she’s covered in blood. Drowning in dirt while she screamed in the distance. Stan’s not there, Eddie’s not breathing and Richie’s not leaving. _

“What about you guys?” Beverly asked, looking over at Eddie and Richie who were sitting silently together in the hammock, like they always were when they were in the clubhouse, as a group or just the two of them. Richie was holding Eddie’s ankle and Eddie had his legs tucked around Richie’s. Both acutely aware of the skin pressed together and neither going to do anything about it. “Do you ever, you know, dream?” 

_ Blow you for a nickel. A dime. Hell, I’ll blow you for free.  _

_ Don’t touch the other boys, they’ll know. _

_ Richie telling him that’s he’s sick. _

_ Eds turning away from him. _

_ Dirty little secret.  _

“No,” Richie shook his head. “I don’t.”

Eddie shrugged, “I don’t either.”

“Lucky you,” Stan replied. Staring at them like he knew that they were lying. 

“Lucky us,” Richie muttered back. 

A beeping broke the silence that had started. Eddie’s watch flashing on his wrist. He and everyone looked at it. Pill time. If he didn’t take his meds he could get sick. Get hurt and then his mother would be right. He’d become a burden on her, because he would be unwell. Like she always said. His watch kept beeping. Eddie stood up, pulled his watch off, placed it on the ground and then stood on it as hard as he could. The beeping stopped. 

“I didn’t even like that watch,” Eddie sat back down in the hammock. 

Richie burst into laughter, high fiving Eddie as the others started laughing as well. “That was badass, Eds.”

_ Dirty _

“Don’t call me that.”

_ Little _

“Oh, you love it!”

_ Secret _

“Do not!” Eddie argued, smiling.

“I n-need to g-g-go home. Who’s le-leaving n-now?” All of them stood. “Al-alright.” 

Mike went up the ladder first, pushing the hatch open, banging it against the ground. He received a chorus of loud swear words in reply. It was dark. Eddie’s watch had just beeped for his midday meds. They’d only been in the clubhouse for a few hours. It shouldn’t be dark outside. There was no way that it could be dark outside. Once they all got out of the house there were only more questions to answer, like why they weren’t where the clubhouse usually was. And where was the entrance to the clubhouse? Because doors don’t just disappear. 

Almost immediately there was talking, all of them yelling over each other trying to ask their questions or get their point across. A car passed them, not far from where they were standing. There was no road near the clubhouse. Ben, who also wore a watch that he didn’t just smash in a fit of absolute rage, proclaimed that it was saying that it was only two past midday. Which everyone could see wasn’t the case because it was dark. 

“Let me just ask the obvious, what the fuck?” Richie asked. 

“Well shit,” Beverly said. “This isn’t great.”

Stan looked two seconds away from a panic attack. “No! Beverly! It’s not!”   


“Is this, you know,” Ben raised his hands that he had shaped like claws. 

“Good Pennywise impression,” Richie said. “Probably though.”

“We probably just fell asleep,” Stan replied.

“For the whole day?” Eddie asked. If he had his inhaler then he’d be using it. Even if he knew it was fake. “That doesn’t make sense. What the fuck!”

Mike grabbed Stan’s hand, grounding him. “I’m sure there’s a reason behind this.”

“Yeah. Sewer clown,” Richie replied. 

“Richie!” Eddie hissed. 

“What do we do?” Bev asked, quieter now.

“The real question is,” Richie said, matching Bev’s tone, before yelling out: “What the fuck?!” 

Ben went to reply when a noise caught their attention from beside the road. Someone had spoken. The group unconsciously stepped closer together. Whatever it was, whoever was speaking out there. They could face it together. A united front because being alone meant they got hurt. They knew that. 

“Richie!” 

All of them looked confused for a moment, gaze flicking between the tree line and the Richie beside them. Frowns on faces. Richie looked even more confused than the others, muttering out a small: “Eddie?” His Eddie looked at him but didn’t reply. He knew that Richie wasn’t talking to him. He stepped closer to Richie. Not a second later and seven adults were bursting into the small clearing they had found themselves in. 

Seven adult losers. 

Them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ME: disappears 
> 
> also me: posts like half the word count I normally would


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the delay. 
> 
> Back to 2016!!!

Life sucks and life gets in the way. It had been two and a half weeks since the fight, almost three days since they had arrived in Derry. And now the adults realised that they couldn’t just hole up in Maine until everything was sorted because they were, unfortunately, adults.

Stan had to go back to his wife and job after a week, promising that he would be back as soon as he could. No one knew how long that would be. Bill had gone back to LA the next day to divorce his wife, because yes, they were divorcing. Luckily it wasn’t bad, both wanting it over quickly and deciding to split everything down the middle to be over with it. He also had to deal with his movie but he’d practically finished the writing after It, and Mike liked it so he was just going to give it to them and be done. 

Ben didn’t need to leave Derry but he still was. His job could be mostly online and through skype so he could do it from Maine, and he had no wife waiting for him back home. However, both he and Beverly were going to Chicago together. They had gone a week after Stan and Bill had left. Her divorce was not going to be as nice but she wanted to do go for it and he wasn’t about to make her go at it alone. She also had to sort out a short-term replacement at work but luckily she had some ideas already. 

They had all promised to be as quick as possible.

That left Mike and Richie to look after seven children. Eddie was still in Derry hospital, so he wasn’t much help. And their parent’s philosophy of ‘let their kids do whatever they want whenever they want’ didn’t work in the twenty-first century. Mike was amazing with them and insisted that it was fine but both Richie and Eddie felt guilty that he was with them while they were in the hospital. This, sadly, led to Richie having to leave Eddie at least once a day to relieve Mike of his child care duties. 

Ben, thank God, had rented a house in Derry and they had moved into that. Richie had no idea how he had gotten it so quickly but then again, Ben was loaded and money was a motivating factor. The house made everything easier as Richie and Mike could leave the children there, alone. Richie had ordered in some gaming equipment that they all loved. Mike took them on walks every morning and they visited the hospital every afternoon. There was a TV and stereo and they had a yard and a ball. They were from the ‘80s, they were fine. 

Afternoons and dinners were Richie’s. He left the hospital with the kids, promising to return to Eddie after dinner, so that Mike could have some time to himself. It really fucking sucked.

“This really fucking sucks.”

“You’re such a baby,” Beverly replied through the phone. Richie could hear Ben laughing in the background. “They’re not that bad.” 

“They really are. And now my Eds is pissed off because little Eds told him that I get them take out or oven dinners every night! So I had to go to the supermarket with all seven of the little bastards and get fucking carrots or whatever. I can’t cook, Bev, Eddie cooks! What am I going to make them for dinner?” 

Now Ben was really laughing. Apparently he was on speakerphone. Beverly wasn’t much better. Ben spoke to him, trying not to laugh as he did so. “What did you get?”

“Wait, what was it like at the supermarket with all of them?” Bev asked. 

“Uh, awful. Little me tried to steal like a hundred things but he’s so fucking bad at it and I kept having to remind them that they were being tapped. And then Richie got the fucking whipped cream can and squirted it on all of their faces and of course, Stan was encouraging him. So I had to buy an empty can of whipped cream with seven kids who had cream all over their faces. And someone recognized me and asked why I had seven children with me so Richie fucking pipes up and says that they’re all orphans.”

“What did you buy, Rich?” Ben interrupted, laughing at the trials Richie had gone through. 

“I don’t even know, fries and chicken bites and fish and like a pizza. And then cucumber and apples or something. I think we bought ice cream as well.” 

“Put the fries and chicken in the oven and then give them cucumber and apple. If they eat it they get ice cream,” Ben said. “Give Richie and Eddie and Stan the most vegetables.”

“Why? I don’t hate those ones.”

“And you hate the other ones?” Bev asked.

Ben laughed, “because Eddie and Stan care. And Eddie cares if Riche has them.”

“What would I do without you two? Amazing parents you are.”

“I know,” Bev replied. 

“Good luck with them.”

“Yeah, and good luck with Terrible Tommy. Tell him I said that. Say; World Famous Comedian Richie Tozier called you Terrible Tommy.”

Both of them laughed and Richie could picture them shaking their heads. “Will do. I’m sure my soon to be ex-would love that.”

“You better marry Ben quick or I’m dumping Eds and jumping him. Just FYI. Actually, I’m pretty sure Eds would be down to jump him as well. Maybe it’ll be a threesome.” 

“Thanks for the heads up,” Beverly said and Richie could practically hear the eye roll that came with it. He grinned. “I’ll keep it in mind. We might have to get married before we get back so that doesn’t happen.” Ben spluttered in the background and Richie laughed. They said their goodbyes - which now included ‘love you’ in them which Richie was over the moon about - before hanging up so that Richie could go and start on the little one's dinners. 

Fuck. 

~

Mike had just gotten back to the house, and thank god for that. Richie was about to go feral. 

“Going well?”

“I am about to kill a minor.”

“You can go, I’m fine here. Oh, but did you see the message Bill sent?” Mike asked after laughing, Richie shook his head. He had no time to check his messages or phone in this madhouse. “He’s going to Stan’s now to help convince Patty that we’re not completely crazy and then he’ll come back up here. And Stan’s quit his job so in a week he’ll be up as well.” 

“Awesome. That is awesome.” 

From downstairs, the basement that had been turned into the kids hang out, there was a lot of yelling and then something fell over. “Let’s go and see what you’ve left me with.”

“I’m really fucking sorry.”

“Go and kiss your husband for me.”

Richie saluted, “absolutely.”

The husband in question was sulking when Richie arrived. It was later than Richie normal came but the jelly was still sitting on the side table, waiting for him since Eddie didn’t like it and he was an amazing husband. He had headphones on and had been rolled onto his side so he wasn’t looking at the door and didn’t notice that Richie had come inside. Richie could tell that something had gone wrong the moment he had walked in and he was on a mission to find out what happened, fix it, make Eds happy, and then eat his jelly. Maybe the jelly could happen during step one?

He walked over to the bed quickly, his face uplifting when he saw what Eddie was watching on his phone. The camera angle switched and there he was; close up face shot as he closed one of his jokes. It was his Netflix special from last year. It was his second one and was one of the longest sets he’d ever performed. God, he’d gone over his material so much in the previous weeks. And now his husband was watching it. Richie, as quietly and quickly as he could, snapped a photo of it. 

Because he was a little shit, Richie couldn’t just tap his shoulder to let him know that he was in the room. Instead, he waited a moment until he knew what phone-him was saying, bent down and talked along with the phone. 

Eddie hit him in the face. 

“Ow!”

“You shouldn’t have scared me!”

“Say sorry!”

“It was in my vows to never lie.” 

Richie pouted as he sat in the chair so Eddie could actually see him. He also took the jelly then. Yeah, he had no patience or self-control so it was being eaten now. “Was it funny?”

“No.”

“Why were you watching it then?”

“Because the results came back and I was upset.”

They held hands on the bed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here, baby. I should have been.”

“My entire life my mother told me that something would go wrong and I’d end up being sick or injured. A burden on her so I need to behave and do as she said. I messed up and now I’m a burden on you. She was fucking r-”

“Don’t you dear finish that sentence,” Richie interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it because it’s wrong. The only time your mother was right was that one time she called you cute. And the only good thing she did for society, aside from birthing you, was letting you buy those little red shorts. Your mother was an abusive bitch and she was never, ever, right. You are not a burden.”

“I guess.” 

Richie grabbed his hand. “I am going to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you are not a burden. You being in a wheelchair is nothing, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Promise. And I mean it’s not like your height is going to change.” 

“Asshole.”

“But you love it.”

Eddie sighed, “I guess I do. You’ve worn me down all these years. I know it sucks about the demon clown and me nearly dying but the fact that I remember how we meet is worth it. And the time that you proposed to me when we were like ten.”

“It was a dare.”

“You put your heart and soul into it.”

“I was practising. And I remember embarrassing stuff about you as well just so you - actually that’s a lie. I thought everything you did was the height of cuteness. You could have stabbed me and my dying thought would have been ‘cute’ if I’m being honest with you.”

“You’re such a dork. Did you know that? I hope you know that.”

Leaning down, Richie kissed his husband. “I did. Oh, that kiss was from Mike.”

“Good. I would hate one from you.”

Richie kissed him again. He could feel Eddie’s smile through it. Mission accomplished. 

~

It was three-thirty and Mike was just about to arrive at the airport. He’d dropped the kids at the hospital earlier than normal in order to go and pick up Bill. In Eddie’s room, he’d offered to take some of the kids with him, so Richie didn’t have to look after all seven, but Eddie had smiled and said they were fine. Richie looked like he was going to protest but Eddie sent him a look and he shut up. Weird. 

Visiting hours were over now which meant that they’d be somewhere in town. Richie was probably buying them ice cream because he couldn’t say no to them. And Mike was pulling into a parking spot. Bill was supposed to arrive in the next ten minutes and, to be completely honest, Mike was extremely happy that he was about to be back in town. Don’t get him wrong, he was happy that all of his friends were back in town. But Bill was slightly different; don’t ask him why. He didn’t know. 

He had just arrived at the arrivals gate when Bill came out. He looked tired but happy, grinning and speeding up when he saw Mike standing there. They embraced for a long time, neither wanting to be the first to let go. God, it felt right to have Bill in his arms. 

“How are you?” Mike asked as they walked back to the car. Each of them had a suitcase in hand. Apparently he’d packed up the majority of his belongings. He and Audra were selling the house but she was staying there for the time being. 

“Good. I am happy to be back. Never thought I’d say that about Derry.” 

“I’m happy you’re back, and this time it’s a lot nicer. Everything went okay, then?”

Bill nodded, “it’s been a long time coming. We both knew it and this just gave me the push to do something about. We’re not in love anymore but we’re still friends. I mean, we were in the same house for a week and it was fine. We basically acted the same way but without any slightly awkward kisses.” 

“Did you get everything done?” Mike asked, “you know, legally?”

“Yup. Signed so many pieces of paper. Plus I got the movie finished, Audra and the director liked it so that’s good. I’m never writing a script again.”

“I like your books.”

“Really?”

Mike nodded, “yeah, they’re great. I’ve read all of them.”

“Thanks,” Bill replied and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why Mike’s casual review meant more to him than anyone else’s. Ever. “I’m just glad everything is over and now I can focus on the fact that my thirteen-year-old self is still here.”

“Well, it’s good that it’s all okay now.”

“And I’m ready to get on to the next chapter of my life.” 

Mike didn’t know what Bill meant by that but he one hundred per cent agreed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing chapter 19: What's chapter 12 about?
> 
> Me, reads this chapter: WHY ARE THEY STILL IN DERRY??? LET THEM LEAVE???

“We have an issue.”

“Oh for fuck sakes,” Stan muttered. “What?” 

Richie made a face, “Eds can go back to California now. Well, in three days.”

“That’s not a problem?”

“I know,” Richie nodded at Mike. “But it is because we have children now and I don’t think Eddie wants to leave them or you right now. And I don’t either, I love you guys and the children may be evil but they’re funny sometimes. But we don’t want to stay here any longer.” 

“You just like watching little you mess up with Eddie all the time,” Bev muttered. 

“Obviously.” 

Stan looked at him, head tilted to the side. “We could come out to LA.”

“You can’t uproot your entire life,” Richie replied. He looked stressed out. None of his friends were happy with that. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, showered in days or eaten a proper meal ever. It was scary, watching him act on auto-pilot most of the time. The only time he looked truly alive was when he was beside Eddie, which was happening less because Eddie kept kicking him out so he could spend time away from the hospital. Richie shook his head. “You have a job and a wife and like, responsibilities.” 

“I quit my job, remember? And Patty loves California, I’m sure she’d be happy to go on a holiday.” 

“I want to leave Derry. And I’ve never been to the west coast.”

“Sounds like a good idea. It’s not like I have anywhere to be. Plus I actually live in LA,” Bill said, not adding that he was happy to follow Mike anywhere. 

Ben looked at Beverly, who was already looking at him. Wherever they went, it would be together. “I can work from there,” Bev said in the end, Ben nodding along with her. Richie looked between all of them. 

“You’re all going to move to LA even though we only remembered each other like a month ago? Seems a bit obsessive.” 

“You’re hilarious. Let me go and call my wife, make sure she’s actually okay with moving states before I agree to anything.”

Richie looked marginally better. Like one weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He smiled at them before announcing that he was going back to the hospital. Eddie had kicked him out for an hour, it had been fifty minutes and it was a twenty-minute drive. His husband would be proud - look at him, coming in ten minutes after he was allowed to. All of the losers gave him a hug and promised they’d tell the kids that they were leaving that weekend. Not that any of the kids would mind.

“Go and give your husband some loving.”

“If only, Mrs Hanscome. We’re not allowed on account of the impalement.” 

“Sucks to be you,” Beverly said before winking at Ben, who looked rather baffled at the whole thing. Richie raised an eyebrow at her, while Bev was good at lying to others she could never pull it off with the losers. “Fine! We’re not. Yet.”

“Better keep him satisfied or I’m taking him,” Richie winked. “And I have lots of experience with guys!” 

Beverly laughed, “I’m telling Eddie you said that.”

“No, don’t. He’ll kick me out for longer!” 

“Don’t do it,” Bill said, not looking up from his phone. “He’s so annoying when he’s here.”

“Fuck me for loving my husband,” Richie said before grinning at Bill. Bill made a face back, what was Richie on about now? “You’ll know all about loving your husband soon enough! I gotta go but keep your men happy or Eds and I are taking them. Toodles!”

They watched him leave, practically running to his car. He always looked happiest when he was heading back to Eddie. The two of them loved each other with such an intensity. The losers hadn’t seen anything like it before. Bev would be jealous if she wasn’t so happy for them. Beverly sat down on one of the sofas in the living room. All of the kids were in the back garden, they’re yelling could be heard from inside. And they were only outside because Ben had insisted they don’t spend all day playing video games. They were really becoming parents. 

The kids were another issue they were facing. Namely, they had no idea how to return them to the ‘80s. Taking them out of Derry was probably not the best idea but, really, there was nothing left in the small town. Both Mikes and Bens had spent weeks pouring over every book they could; the other adults helping out as well. And they hadn’t found anything that could actually help them. Mike had even gone back to the tribe that had helped him the first time and they had no ideas on time travelling. 

Luckily the kids weren’t too worried. They had been in 2016 for 37 days and were adapting to it well. Technology was still weird and all of them hated the reboots but they, on the whole, they were okay. One problem they faced was what was happening back home. But that didn’t bother them as much anymore. Apparently they had talked about and had come up with the answer that their timeline was just gone. No parents waiting for them because there were no parents. It made the whole thing easier for them so the adults didn’t comment. 

Once Richie was gone Ben called the kids in. It would be good to have this conversation without him here - just in case the kids were upset with moving, it was unlikely but still, better to have it now. And Richie wasn’t going to be coming back until Eddie kicked him out again, which would be tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. It wasn’t like he liked the fact Richie wasn’t there. 

“We need to talk to you,” Ben yelled out. Stan came back into the room and gave them a thumbs up.

“What’s this about, Mr Handsome?” Richie asked as they came in. He and Bev had managed to get leaves and twigs in their hair and dirt on their faces. Eddie rolled his eyes at the nickname but still sat next to him on the sofa. They were officially together now, had been since two days after the fight. Literally nothing had changed between the two of them aside from the fact that they had kissed once and had been on a date twice (and they’re date was the same as what they did as friends but they held hands (which was still terrifying, you could take the kids out of ‘89 but not the homophobia out of the kids - big Richie had told them that it gets better)). 

“Eddie’s been cleared for release,” Mike explained. “He can go back to California now.” 

The general response was: ‘that’s awesome’ and ‘finally’. 

“He and Richie want to get back home,” Ben continued. 

“Which means they’ll be going to the other side of the country,” little Richie interrupted. “Are you sitting us down to tell us that they’re leaving?”

Ben shook his head, “no, Richie. They want us to go with them.”

“We’re going to California?” Beverly asked.

“If you want,” big Bev replied. “We can stay here if you don’t want to leave Derry.”

“Why would we want to stay?” She asked in reply. All of the little losers seemed to be in agreement with her. Why stay in Derry when Hollywood was right there? The adults nodded, looks like everyone was in agreement then. They were going to LA. Stan texted Richie while Ben started looking at airfares. It would be tricky to get twelve people on a plane. The little ones looked on, excited. 

“You know,” little Richie leant over to whisper to Eddie. “I hear Cali is the most liberal state, works in our favour. The amount of PDA is going to skyrocket.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Richie, you can’t even kiss me without nearly passing out. What PDA?”

“That was a secret, Eds!”

Little Stan looked amazed, “this is the best news ever.”

“Like you’re any better,” Richie pouted. 

Big Stan made an annoyed noise, cutting them off before anything could really start, “their house is only four bedrooms.”

“I thought I was rich,” Richie made a face. 

“Why would two people need a bigger house than that?” Eddie asked, “that’s already big.”

“So that everyone knows we’re rich! Eds, we’re getting a massive mansion. Movie theatre, bowling alley. Arcade.” 

“I’m sure big Richie said that to older me, and then he listened to his Eddie.”

“Gross. You’re too sensible. I bet you want a laundry!” 

Eddie scrunched his face up, “you need a laundry!”

“Yeah, and you need an arcade. It’s science.”

“That’s the dumbest thing ever.”

“You’re the dumbest thing ever.” 

“We are having a laundry and no arcade! You’d never leave it.”

“That’s the point.”

Their Bill and Stan rolled their eyes. Yeah, nothing had changed. 

~

Richie pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead. His husband was coming to the end of a minor panic attack, still breathing harshly but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been only a minute ago. Richie kissed him again. Every attack freaked Richie out, the awful sound of Eddie not being able to breath made him feel like his chest was constricting. But it was okay, he was going to be okay. The nurse smiled at him before leaving, apparently judging the situation alright. 

“How are you feeling, my love?” 

“Shit.”

“You don’t look it,” Richie said before making a so-so motion with his hand. Eddie chuckled and shook his head. Richie brushed his hair back, was three kisses too much? No, the answer was no. “Why were you freaking out? Was it because you finally realized that you should have married Ben because he turned out really hot?” 

“That was part of it.”

“I knew it.” 

Eddie laughed again, “no. I don’t know, I was just thinking. This is going to change everything. I can’t work in a hospital like this and I’m going to -”

“If you saying 'be a burden'; I swear I’ll -. I don’t know actually. Probably cry. I don’t like it when you talk about yourself like that.”

“No. I was going to say I’m going to have to adjust to all this new stuff.” 

“You are,” Richie agreed easily. “We’re both going to have to adjust and figure out some new stuff. And it’s going to be hard and then it’s going to be fine because you’re okay. Being in a wheelchair isn’t a death sentence, Eds, you know that. And I’ve been telling you to be a sugar baby for ages. I think this is a good time to finally do that for me. I want a trophy husband.” 

“In a wheelchair.”

“Yeah, he’s got his own sick wheels,” Richie said enthusiastically. That got Eddie to laugh and wasn’t that always the goal? “And you can keep working as a nurse, they’re not going to fire you for it, and I’d hope that a hospital is wheelchair friendly. Wouldn’t make much sense if it wasn’t,” Richie muttered the last part, almost missing the face that Eddie made. “What?” 

He shrugged, “mid-life crisis?” 

“I think you’re owed one. Want a sports car or something?”

“We already have one.” 

“A … shit, do you want a motorcycle? You’d look hot.”

“I want to go back to school.”

“Sure, but you can still be a nurse.”

Again he shrugged, “yeah but I’ve actually been thinking about it for a while. You know that I love working with the kids.”

“Am I going to be married to a teacher? Nice, we can switch up our roleplay.”

“That is so gross!” Eddie laughed and swatted at Richie's shoulder. “Do you think I’d be good at it?”

“I think you’d be amazing.”

Eddie hummed, “speaking of kids. Any news?”

“Richie and Eddie kissed.”

“I meant on the whole time travelling thing. You're too invested in their relationship, it’s weird.”

“It’s me.” 

“News, Richie.”

Richie nodded and saluted his husband. Said husband rolled his eyes in fond (and fake) annoyance. Richie pressed another kiss to his head, having decided that there was no upper limit of times he could kiss Eddie. “There is no news on the kids being in the wrong decade, like at all. The only news is that no one has found anything, which I guess is news but anyway. I think Mike has been threw every book he owns. Apparently there is someone who knows something about things in Ohio so Mike and Bill are going after we go to Cali now, I’d guess.”

“Ten bucks says the fuck while away.”

“I’m not taking that bet because I’d be out ten bucks.”

“Also in the news today,” Richie changed his voice to a stereotypical ‘30s newscaster type man. Eddie laughed when he heard it. “Stan and his wife are having mid-life crises as well as they are currently in the process of selling their house to come to LA. Bev’s opening a branch on her shop in LA and Ben is hiring Stan for his company. Bill is currently writing a sequel to one of his books that is about us but he didn’t realize it. Mike is very excited to leave, as is everyone because Derry sucks. Little Ben and Bev have also started dating, as Ben was very excited to tell me, I also found out that big Ben and Bev have only kissed so far.” 

“And?” Eddie prompted.

Shaking his head, Richie sent Eddie a confused look, “that’s it.” 

“No, it’s not. Don’t lie to me, I can tell.”

“Damn you. Yeah, little Richie misses his parents. The others aren’t as bad, Bev and you for obvious reasons. Bill said his parents haven’t been the same and while he misses them he also doesn’t. Stan and Mike don’t seem to care all that much, big Stan told me that little Stan is probably happy to be away and Mike said the same thing. Ben’s pretty upset but Richie is really struggling.”

“You should take him to them.”

“What?”

“They’re in Cali, we will be. I don’t see why not.”

Richie looked at him like he was crazy. “Oh, hey mom and dad, here’s me as a kid! He time travelled so we could all fight a clown in the Derry sewer system!”

“Maybe don’t mention the clown thing. You sound crazy.” 

“Yeah. Right.”

“You’re parents will understand enough to treat him like they treated you. If Ben’s mom is alive he should do the same.”

He kissed Eddie again, this time on the lips. “I love you. I’ll talk to Richie again.”

“If you two don’t mind you should take Eddie. I always felt more at home in your house than mine.”

The smile on Richie’s face was positively radiating.


	13. Chapter 13

“I want to know more about you and Ben.”

Beverly rolled her eyes. “If you weren’t on a hospital bed I’d punch you.”

“Oh come on! You used to tell me about him all the time.”

“No, I didn’t!”

Eddie sent her a look, “we gossiped about Ben and Richie all the time.”

“Because you didn’t look at me like all the other boys did.”

“Because I was in love with Richie.”

“I think it was because you were gay. Richie loved you but he looked at me.”

“Boys,” he pretended to shudder. Bev laughed. “Come on! Give me something, anything.” She shook her head. Eddie pouted at her, “come on! My life is so boring, I am looking forward to Richie doing his voices because I am so bored. I need some spice so that I don’t die of boredom. Please, Beverly!” 

“We’re taking it slow. I don’t want and am not ready to jump into another relationship. There’s not a lot to tell. He’s being very respectful.”

“Speaking of?”

“Divorce is going as smoothly as I thought it would be,” Beverly made a face. “He’s trying to keep everything. He’s saying that he was never abusive and that I was cheating on him the entire time.” 

“We could kill him.”

Beverly shook her head, “Richie already suggested that but I said that we’d be suspects straight away. Don’t worry, Ben’s made sure I’ve got a good lawyer who says that we’re making headway. There’s evidence that I’m not lying and that Tom is. And Ben is currently paying for everything because Tom locked me out of all the accounts when I left, like, I think he locked me out the day I got to Derry. He’s an asshole.”

“If you ever need anything you can come to me and Richie,” Eddie said and Beverly smiled at him. “I’m glad you’ve got Ben; you deserve the sweetest man in the world and you got him.”

“I thought you were supposed to call your own husband the sweetest man in the world?”

“Richie is a roach.”

Laughing, Richie winked at Eddie. He had just walked into the room, a shopping bag in his hand. He shook his head when Bev asked if he had been spying on them and then dumped the bag on the bed before sitting on the same side. He grabbed Eddie’s hand in his before turning to Beverly. “You better go, Bev, this is our foreplay so I don’t know what’s going to happen now. Hopefully something really gross.” 

“I hate that you can hear me calling you a roach and get turned on.”

“Everything you do turns on me, baby.” 

“Is that really your foreplay?” 

“No!” “Yeah.”

Beverly just laughed and shook her head at them. “You two are crazy. But I am going to go because I am in love. Also Ben and I are taking some of the children to Bangor to buy some more clothes before we leave.”

“So it is you,” Richie muttered. “I wondered how they were getting clothes.”

“Enjoy your last day in the hospital, Eddie!”

“Last day in Hospital. And then months of physical therapy.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, “and that will fly by! See you two in Cali!”

“See you, love you,” both of them called out as she walked away. Richie turned to Eddie with a grin, “want to see what I smuggled in?” 

~

Getting last minute flights from Bangor to LA was hard. Getting twelve of them was impossible. So they had split it up. Both Bens and Bevs and little Stan were leaving that night. Stan was going to Atlanta first to meet up with Patty and they’d come out to LA by the end of the week, he was leaving early tomorrow. Big Eddie and Richie had been sorted out by the hospital but they were also leaving later the same day. Baby Eddie and Richie were going to get on a plane by themselves and fly to LA at the same time, heaven help the crew and passengers of that flight. 

That left Mike and Bill, all four of them, in Derry. They were staying in Maine for another three days for two reasons: Mike needed to pack up his whole life and both Bills wanted to visit Georgie before they left. To check up on him and to make sure his resting place was clean and tidy. And to say goodbye. Once that was done and dusted they’d head to the west coast and meet up with everyone there. Eddie and Richie had offered up their house, and everyone had taken them up.

Which meant that all fifteen of them would be in a four-bedroom place. The kids were fine with sharing one room, Eddie and Richie would have theirs, Stan and Patty would have one and then Bev and Ben would have the fourth. Mike and Bill would be in the living room. It was going to work, they could feel it. It was one of the jobs Bev and Ben had to get done before the others arrived: by a whole shit tonne of mattresses and blankets. 

“We have like one friend and I employee him and Eddie doesn’t actually like him,” Richie had told them when he explained the situation, “so we have like two spare blankets. It’s going to get real cosy.” 

Because, yes, they could go and get a hotel room or a few of them could rent a holiday house nearby. It would be the normal way to do it. Everyone would be more comfortable for it. But the idea of not being in the same house, the same building, made all of their skin crawl. Little Stan was right; when they were separated they got hurt. Together they could go through anything. Including living with fifteen people. Richie wasn’t even that bad. 

They were going to California together and they weren’t going to forget again. 

~ 

“This is not what I was expecting.”

Beverly nodded, “its. It's something.”

“Its Eddie and Richie.”

It was half-past eleven at night, the kids were asleep in the car and Bev and Ben had just walked into Eddie and Richie’s house for the first time. The exterior was very nice, modern and clean. Their street was clearly well to do, all manicured lawns and walls made of glass covering the front of houses. And that made sense after Richie had turned up in Ice Age they had looking him up. He was in a lot of movies. Bev knew that she recognised the voice from Inside Out. 

But the inside. It was something to behold. The front door opened to a large space consisting on a kitchen, living room and dining room, but the dining table had been replaced by a small stage and the living room was a mix of modern furniture and bean bags. The kitchen was modern as well but had a bright blue backsplash and blood-red fridge with hundreds of letter magnets. There were doors on their left, one of which had: RICHIE’S SEX DUNGEON, PLEASE KNOCK! written across the door. It wasn’t a note, it was just sharpie onto the physical door. It was also badly written as if the scribbler had been drunk. 

The rest of the doors looked pretty normal, and the hallway curved around the back of the kitchen. In between the doors was covered in framed posters of all the movies Richie had been in, signed, and tour posters; also signed. The frames were all painted bright colours that proudly sat against the white walls. “That’s Eddie’s signature,” Ben pointed out as they moved down. And yes, it was. Eddie had signed all of Richie’s posters. “I can’t believe that they never grew up.” 

“I can,” Beverly said. “It’s them.”

Ben hummed as he opened the door with the note. It was the master bedroom and was absolutely covered in pictures of Richie and Eddie. Their bed was covered in pillows, all of them had a state or country’s flag on them. “How does Eddie live here?”

“He’s just as insane as Richie, he just hides it better.”

“That’s true.” 

The next room was the room that had been designated as the kids, apparently, it was the biggest one. They knew this because Richie had decided, one random day, that he was going to paint the entire room purple because he knew it would piss of Eddie. It was not a nice shade of purple. One of the walls and then been painted an off-white but the purple was still visible and according to Richie, Eddie just didn’t come in this room anymore. 

“What the fuck is this?” Stan asked. Bev and Ben turned around to see the three kids standing in the living room. “I hate it.”

“I love it!” Little Bev said with glee written across her face. 

“We could paint a wall and I don’t think they’d notice,” other Bev mused as if she was actually thinking about it. 

Little Ben was looking around with wide eyes, “why do they have three pink chandeliers?” 

“That’s a good question,” Stan muttered. “Because it’s them.”

“Richie told me that there’s a water slide in the shed, we have to get it out.”

“Maybe in the morning,” big Ben said. “We should go to bed, we’ve got to go shopping tomorrow.”

“I wanna see Hollywood!”

“We promised the others that we wouldn’t sightsee,” her older counterpart said. “We’re going shopping. Each of you can take a bed, it doesn’t matter what one for now. We’ll grab some pull-outs tomorrow.” 

Ben nodded, “if you need us we’ll be in here, oh-” he had pushed open the door to reveal a room that was not only painted bright green one three walls and yellow on the other but had a disco ball going. “Was that on the entire time?” 

“Why’s the bed so high?” Little Bev asked, “there’s a step to get onto it.”

“This entire house is like a bad drug trip,” Beverly muttered. “See you guys in the morning.” 

She messaged the group chat, asking why their disco ball was left on. Eddie replied that it was always on, since they had bought it. When Bill asked why Richie replied with a dancing emoji. Stan messaged after that, asking them all; ‘what have we gotten into here?’ to which Richie sent a laughing emoji, a devil emoji and then two eggplants emojis. He was removed by Stan and a minute later Eddie was adding him back. 

~

“I know that I said I believe you, but this is really weird.” 

“You’re an awesome wife, did I ever tell you that?” 

Patty nodded. They were sitting in a plane, about to take off to California to move in with Stan’s childhood friends who he had forgotten because of a clown (demon clown?) and their childhood versions. It was very odd. Nobody could deny that much. Patty wasn’t sure what to make of it, to be honest. But she trusted Stan, loved him a lot, so when he explained that he had fought a clown in the sewers with Bill Denbrough, Beverly Marsh and Richie Tozier as well as some others, she had believed him. And now she was moving to LA. 

“Good. I should tell you more often.”

“Does little you act like you did?”

“We are the same person.”

She smiled at her lap, “so I get to meet you when you were eleven. That’s incredible, I can’t wait.”

“You also have to meet Richie, both versions of them. And that’s a punishment you don’t deserve.” 

“I don’t mean to overstep-”

“Trust me, you can ask me anything. You’re being extremely accommodating right now, I owe you some answers.” 

He was looking at her with so much love in his eyes, it made her feel a bit woozy. “Do you have any idea how you’re going to send the children back? Or are they stuck here? And does that mean that we have to adopt you?” 

“I have no idea. We’re going to get together in LA and talk about it. Eddie hasn’t been up for any major discussions. According to Richie. I’m sure Eddie would say otherwise but he has a protective husband.” 

“I can’t wait to meet them. They sound very nice.”

Stan smiled, “they are. I love all of them.”

“I can tell.” 

“They’re very chaotic, Richie and Beverly and Eddie especially. Just beware. I mean, I antagonize them constantly. But they always started it.”

“I’ll believe you because you’re my husband.”

“You’re the best wife ever. Best person ever,” Stan declared before leaning down and kissing her softly. She really loved him, she couldn’t imagine a world in which she didn’t have him by her side. She didn’t want to imagine it either, that wasn’t a world that Patty wanted to even think about. And it didn’t matter, because she had Stan and she wasn’t ever going to let him go and she knew that he felt the same way about her. Meant to be. “You are amazing, and I need to tell you that more.”

She cupped his cheek in her hand, “you’re amazing. You saved the world.”

“I hit a clown with a pipe and then bullied it to death.”

“My hero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing: and now patty shall be a character in this story because I love her.


	14. Chapter 14

Eddie had been home for a week when they had the conversation. After being released from the hospital in Maine they’d flown out to Cali and Eddie had spent a week trying to adjust. But now they needed to figure out what to do about the children still being in their timeline. It had been pushed to the back burner after the fight, and then neither Richie or Eddie had cared while Eddie was recovering. But now he was off the hard pain meds and ready for the conversation. 

Bill and Mike had gone to Ohio for a day, leaving early and returning late, after the tribe had told them that there may be answers there. There were not. They returned to LA with no new information. And there was nothing in Derry, nothing online and nothing in the three libraries that Ben and Mike and Bill had gone to in LA. No one had answers for them so they were left with seven kids to deal with. 

So here they all were, sitting in the living room with the children in the garden; water slide on to keep them busy.

“I’d say that we just keep them,” Beverly said, “but they’re legally not here. We’d have to get them new identities if we did.” 

“What do we do? Go to the police and explain what happened?” Bill asked, “we’d all be in a padded cell before we could say it was one of Richie’s bad jokes.” 

“My bad jokes are paying for your house, big Bill.”

“And what a house it is,” Stan muttered. Eddie and Richie grinned at each other. 

Mike cleared his throat, “let’s try to stay focused here. Because if their timeline isn’t frozen then they’ve been missing for nearly two months.” 

“If this was something trying to help us then why hasn’t it sent the kids back?” Richie asked them all. “I mean, this isn’t helpful anymore. We defeated It.” 

“Unless we didn’t?” Eddie muttered. “And the kids have to fight it in twenty years or something.” 

“You didn’t see it,” Stan shook his head. 

Bill nodded, “It was dead. And no other kids have gone missing, nothing unusual has happened. We’ve been keeping an eye on stuff there. It only took six kids before we killed It, when Georgie was taken It took thirty-seven others. And Mike said that the time before us, in the fifties, a hundred or more kids went missing. I don’t think six is enough and It wouldn’t risk starving. It’s gone.” 

“Maybe It did bring them,” Richie said. “I mean, maybe It thought that we’d be distracted and less likely to hurt It if we were also looking after the kids. But then when we killed It the kids got stuck here because he brought them. I mean, It did know that they were coming before we did. So that would mean that they are stuck here though, seeing as It is dead then there’s no way to send them back.”

Ben hummed, “I forgot about the note. It did know.” 

“But why?” Stan asked, “why would It want to bring them here?” 

“It does eat kids,” Richie replied.

Bev nodded, “It thought that we’d lose and then It’d get to eat seven kids. And they’re the kids that defeated him last time so win-win.” 

“Two for one, not only are we distracted with not getting the kids killed but It gets to eat them when he wins. And that happened, I hit him with that fucking rock because he was about to attack little me and Eds,” Richie looked over at Eddie, who was sitting in a wheelchair beside him and then away quickly. Eddie closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Richie’s hand. Richie looked at his friends, “it makes sense.”

“I couldn’t find anything on time travel like this,” Mike said, “so it would have been the first time.”

“Maybe,” Eddie looked out the window and not at his friends, “but we’re not going to tell anyone that they time travelled so maybe if it has happened before, they didn’t either. No one wants to be burned at the stake.” 

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Patty watched all of them speaking, not speaking. She liked Stan’s friends, they were kind and funny and clearly loved each other very much. And had been happy to include her in all of their discussions and activities. She had talked to all of them individually now so that she could say she actually meet them. And she spent time with the kids, especially young Stan who was exactly how Patty had imagined her husband as a child. 

But this was something else. She’d never seen anything like it. She’d never seen anything like them before. All of them were so casual about the fact they were dealing with time travellers and magic and a clown who eats kids and who knows what else. And they were so close, it was interesting to watch them interact. Everyone gravitated towards each one another effortlessly. Stan caught her eye and smiled softly at her, they were holding hands and she squeezed. Whatever he decided she’d stand behind him. She hoped he knew that. 

“I can keep looking into it,” Mike continued, “but I don’t know where to start.”

“And it’s not like they want to go back,” Richie said.

“We can’t keep them here,” Bill replied. 

Richie shrugged, “the only thing Richie misses is our parents who are coming over this afternoon and the arcade and we can buy him some games. And Ben’s taking Ben to see his mom later on. What else do they need?”

“You and Eddie ready to become parents?” Stan asked.

“We’ll have to take our name off the waiting list,” Richie said. “But yes.”

Everyone looked at them, Stan sighed slowly and Bev asked; “list? You were going to adopt kids? Did you get a house inspection?” 

“Yeah, they loved our house. Eds and I put our names down like a year ago but, like, homophobia is a thing and it’s taking forever. Straight couples get priority or whatever. Jokes on them, now we have two gay sons.”

“Who are in love,” Eddie pointed out. 

Bill made a face, “maybe don’t make them brothers.”

“We’ll take Mike and you take can Richie,” Richie said. “Bev can take Stan and Stan can take Bev.”

“Why?” Stan, Bev and Mike asked. 

“So that couples aren’t together,” Richie explained easily while Eddie looked rolled his eyes at him. Mike looked confused, Richie sighed and shook his head at Eddie causing both Stan and Bev to laugh. Now Bill, Ben and Mike looked confused. Stan leaned over and whispered something to Patty which caused her to laugh as well. “You guys are all insane. So, we haven’t decided what we’re doing with the babies? Awesome, and they’ve been in my garden unsupervised for like three hours.” 

“Your neighbours are going to hate you,” Mike muttered.

Richie shrugged, “they already hate us.” 

“I have no idea why,” Stan said. 

“It’s the karaoke and water slide,” Richie replied.

“Did you actually just stay twelve?” Ben asked. 

They looked at each other before turning back to their friends, Richie nodded while Eddie answered: “we do our taxes.” 

“Baby Richie is easier to deal with,” Stan said standing up. Patty followed, as did the rest of them. Bill clapped Richie on the shoulder while Bev pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead, Richie saluted all of them and Eddie waved from the chair. Stan checked his phone and sighed. “Come on, they’ve broken the gnome and they think Bev’s sprained her wrist in a different accident.” 

“They broke the gnome?” Eddie asked. Stan nodded. “You can thank them.”

“I love that gnome!”

“Gnome-more.”

Richie burst out laughing, Eddie’s face not moving from a disinterested look. 

“On that note,” Bev stood “I’m gone. We will leave you guys alone. I think Bev wants to see the walk of stars or whatever that’s called.”

“You’re the best,” Richie said as he finger gunned. 

Bev did it right back, “I know. Love you!”

“Love you all!” Both Richie and Eddie replied as the whole group made to move towards the back door. Richie continued, “especially you Patty!” 

She laughed, “love you too Richie.”

“You’re so fun. Why are you married to Stan ‘I like to watch birds and I’m ten’ Uris? We should get married.”

“You’re already married,” she said.

“And she likes birds.”

“Deal breaker, sorry Pats.”

Stan rolled his eyes, flicked Richie off, and ushered his wife out of the room, Richie and Eddie laughing behind them. “You have very strange friends, Stan.”

“Don’t I know it.” 

~

The losers had been gone for forty-five minutes when Maggie and Wentworth turned up to the house. Baby Richie and Eddie were in the kids room and the adults were in the living room. 

Maggie barely even looked at Richie when he opened the door for her, automatically going to where Eddie was sitting. “Oh, Eddie! How are you feeling? Are you alright? I’m so sorry that we didn’t come to Derry but Richie said there was no point. If you had asked we would have been on the first plane out there, I want you to know that. Promise. Gosh, I’m rambling. Sorry. I just love you so much!” 

While Maggie almost killed Eddie with a hug, Wentworth hugged his son. “How are you?”

“Peachy keen,” Richie said. “Mom, please don’t smother my husband.”

“He’s my son, leave me alone.” 

“Thanks, Maggie. I’m okay, don’t worry about me.”

She gasped, “I worry about you all the time! Just like I worry about Richie. Who I know need to smother so excuse me a second.”

“Mom!” Richie whined when Maggie did as promised. Over her head - his mother was very short, a running joke in the family - he saw his dad leaned down to hug Eddie and whisper to him. It made his heart swell every time he saw his parents love Eddie like that. They’d been doing it since they were little kids, and even then Richie had loved it even if he couldn’t understand why. And now look, they were his parents-in-law. “Okay, I need you guys to sit down. We have something to tell you.”

His parents looked confused but did as asked and took a seat on the sofa. That left Richie with the chair they’d brought in from the office because the bean bags were too short compared to the wheelchair and Richie and Eddie liked to hold hands. Which they were doing now. There was a crash in the kid's room, Maggie and Went turning to look there for a second. 

“Do you guys remember 1989?” Richie asked, his parents nodded slowly as if they weren’t quite sure. “We lived in Derry, we were eleven, and all those kids went missing. Our friend’s brother was murdered. Remember?”

“You never talk about Derry,” Maggie muttered. “But yes, I do remember it. Eddie, you broke your arm that year.” 

“I did. And we said it was because we were messing around in the old Neibolt street house.”

“Oh yes, that was stu- wait, you ‘said’ it was because of that,” Maggie looked at them with a frown, “what happened?” 

Eddie and Richie both sighed. Richie spoke, “you’re going to think we’re crazy but I need you to listen and I’m being a hundred per cent serious. Promise. In Derry there is a killer clown that lives in the sewers, he’s an alien demon that eats kids and can transform shape to reflect your greatest fears. When were eleven we fought the clown because it took Bev and we had to rescue her. But before that, it broke Eds’ arm and terrorised all of us. We won when we were kids but it came back a month ago. It comes back every twenty-seven years to feed on kids. But the thing is, when you leave Derry you forget about Derry so Eds and I forgot all about our friends, right? And last month we got a call from Mike Hanlon to go back and kill it again. We didn't want to go because it’s gross and scary in the sewers but we did. And this is when it gets weird.” 

“Eddie,” Went said when Richie paused to breath. “How many drugs is he on right now? We are not judging. We just need to know.”

“None. This is all true,” Eddie replied. 

“Right,” Maggie nodded. “Carry on, Richie. It’s an interesting story.”

Richie nodded. “We were in Derry and then, shit, we were there. But, eleven. They helped us to defeat the clown but obviously Eds got hurt. They're all living here now. Adults and kids because they're still here and we don’t know how to send them back.” 

“Can you see your friends now?” Went asked.

“We’re not crazy,” Richie replied. “They’re sightseeing.” 

“Of course.”

“We have proof,” Eddie interrupted.

“Little Richie and Eddie are in their bedroom,” Richie said before leaning forward and lowering his voice. “I know this is crazy and you probably don’t believe me but those kids miss you, well you from 1989. But you. So, when you see them, just act like you did with us when we were that age.” 

Maggie looked at them sceptically before nodding. “Okay. But if this is for those prank shows I’m writing you out of the will.”

“Richie, Eddie, you can come here now,” Richie called. Before Richie had even finished speaking the door was opened, as if they had been standing right there the entire time, and the two of them came out. They looked frightened as they stared, but they were trying to hide it. Maggie gasped, eyes wide. Went stared at them, then at the adults who were sitting silently. No one moved until big Richie spoke, “that’s us.”

“It is,” Maggie replied softly. “Oh my.”

“Hey, mom, dad,” little Richie said and Eddie waved at them. 

“Did - did you really fight an alien clown when you were a kid?” Went asked them. 

All four of them nodded. Little Richie spoke; “I hit that motherfucker with a bat!”

“Richie, Language!” Maggie scolded before covering her mouth with her hands. Before she knew it, Richie was in her arms, burying his face into her neck. She hugged him back just as fiercely. Went joining in but not before he pulled young Eddie in as well. 

“And all is well in the Tozier household,” big Richie said. 

Eddie hummed, “well is a word that you could use to describe this.”

“I know, that’s why I used it. Does this make them grandparents?” 

“No, it makes them parents.”

Richie made a face, “damn, I thought this would get her off our backs about kids. I mean, they are kids. And one of them is biologically related to them. They’ve got to see this as making them grandparents.” 

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“What do you know about time travel?”

“The same amount as you.”

“Nah,” Richie shook his head. “I have seen back to the future way more times than you.”

Eddie sighed, “that’s not a good thing.”

“It is now. I was studying.”

“You’re such a dork, did you know that?”

“You married me.”

“I did.”

Maggie was crying when she pulled back. She looked over at the older Richie and Eddie with a watery smile. “You two are grounded.”

“What!”

“Lying when you were kids,” Maggie replied. Little Richie and Eddie snickered, Maggie turned back to them. “Don’t go laughing, so are you. Both of you. And Bill and Stan. I can’t ground kids I don’t know that well, so the others are off free.”

“You have to ground big Bill and Stan then.”

She nodded, “absolutely.”

Little Richie was beaming as he looked at his mother, he poked her shoulder and she turned to him. “I missed you.”

“I missed having a cute son. And now I have him back! You and Eddie are just adorable.”

“Mom!” “Maggie!” 

“It’s true!”

Little Richie shrugged before laughing. “Hear that, old guys? You’re ugly.” 

“You need to respect your elders,” big Richie said to little Richie.

Maggie laughed, “it didn’t work when you were young. It’s not going to work now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Maggie and Went Tozier tbh
> 
> In my life: It was my 19th birthday two days ago and I started my job at subway today!


	15. Chapter 15

“Eds, we need to redo the house.” 

“Why? I like it now.”

“Yeah, but this is going to make it so much better! We have friends now!”

“Okay.”

“What are you talking about?” Stan asked.

“I need a conversation pit in my house. Eddie, I need it. I might die if I don’t get it.” 

Eddie hummed, “you sound like a child.”

“Baby!”

“We do have friends now so I guess we can get a conversation pit if you want. Just make sure there’s a ramp in it.” 

“Of course,” Richie kissed Eddie on the cheek before walking out of the living room while calling: “You’re the best!” 

All of the losers looked at Eddie once he had gone. All of them looked at him like his husband had gone crazy. Which, okay, yes. He just shrugged and looked back at his phone, looking up again when Bev sighed. Stan was looking at the ceiling and muttering to himself, Bill looked like he was only a minute away from walking out and the rest of them just looked confused. “We redo the house all the time. We can never agree on anything so we just change it like once a year.”

“Why?” Stan asked. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I’m married to Richie. What were you expecting? We used to redo his bedroom all the time in Derry. You know we did a house tour for some interview that Richie did? It’s still the most viewed video on their youtube channel. And anyway, it’s fun.”

“What’s a conversation pit?” Mike asked when no one responded to Eddie.

“I don’t really know,” Eddie shrugged again. 

Maggie and Went had left only three hours ago, promising to come back soon. They’d stayed for the morning though, chatting with all the Richies and Eddies happily. If they thought it was weird they didn’t let on. They’d also stayed long enough to tell Bill and Stan off for lying to them, which was awesome for Richie to watch and then ground them. Which didn’t really work seeing as two of them were married adults (they looked just as guilty as they’re younger selves though - when they argued they didn’t Richie brought out a photo he had taken of the four of them) and the kids now lived together. 

But they had gone after that, Maggie hugging everyone in the room because she was a cool mom. And then the kids had gone into their room because they had brought some board games that they knew and wanted to play. And the adults had stayed in the living room to chat. Richie had disappeared to his study because he did actually have to work but an hour later had come out, demanding a conversation pit. 

Richie came back in a moment later. “I have a solution.”

“To what problem?” Ben asked him. 

“Good and yet sad question, Benny Boy. The problem is that Mike and Bill are currently sleeping in my living room. The problem isn’t that they’re sleeping together - actually, it is. Do not have sex in my living room.” 

“What are you talking about?” Bill asked.

“Living room sex is for people that pay the mortgage, ie me and Eds.”

Stan made a face, “gross. That’s really gross.”

“Eddie and I have had sex in each room of this house-” Richie said and Eddie nodded when the Losers looked to him. “-anyway. The problem is that they are sleeping in the living room and not a bedroom because Eddie didn’t let us buy a bigger house. Even though -” 

“Don’t finish that. You only wanted a bigger house so that you could make one room a stage room not because we have this many friends. When we brought this house we had zero friends.” 

“Stage room?” Bev muttered.

Richie threw his hands up, “yeah! And now I don’t have a stage room.”

“There is a stage in your dining room,” Ben pointed out. “And you don’t have a dining room table.”

“The stage is there because we didn’t have enough bedrooms.”

“You have three extra bedrooms,” Mike pointed out.

He made a frustrated noise, “please let me tell you the solution! We move house.”

“I thought you wanted a pit?” Eddie asked.

“Obviously. We just gotta move into a house that has one.” 

“Move?” Bev asked, “like in together.”

“If you want to be too forward, sure.” 

She laughed, “alright, Mr Tozier. What are you proposing?”

“I’m married.”

“And you’re not funny.”

“Rude, Stan the Man. Really rude. And I am inviting you to live with me!” 

“We already live together and also, I hate it. Your house is worse than Neibolt street.”

Bill made a noise of agreement, “I never know what’s happening.”

“That’s the fun part,” Richie exclaimed. 

“It’s also why our neighbours never come over.” 

“Good, I don’t like them.”

Ben cleared his throat, “you’re serious about moving in together.” 

“Yeah, why not? We could get a big house so we all have our own little areas. And then there is no chance of forgetting because we live in the same house. I get to live with Pat, which dream come true there. And the kids won’t be separated plus they scare me and I don't want to have to raise little Richie alone because he is literally the devil on earth. I see it as a win-win for everyone. Especially you guys because you get to live with me!” 

“That’s not a win,” Eddie replied. “But the rest of it,” he shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind.” 

“Great, everyone’s on board.” 

“You’re a dipshit,” Stan replied. 

Richie winked, “and yet you want to move in with me. Crazy.”

“I’m going to regret it but if Pat doesn’t mind.”

She laughed loudly, “I love you friends Stan, living with them is fun. I wouldn’t mind.” 

“Patty, darling baby, you don’t have to call us Stan’s Friends. We are your friends. I am also really happy to be your lover if that’s what you want. Just don’t tell Eds or Stan. Sound good?”

“Beep beep!”

He went to reply when the doorbell rang. This was strange to everyone in the room because the entire time they’d been in the house - a week - only the losers and Toziers had come over. And all of them were in the living room. Richie jumped up to get it, which made sense seeing as it was his and Eddie’s house. A man with greying hair and a beer gut stood in the doorway, a stern look on his face a briefcase in hand. As soon as he saw who was at the door, Eddie groaned out loud. The man gave him a look of dislike. 

“I don’t hear from you for weeks! Weeks!” He said, pushing past Richie and coming in. Richie made an exaggerated motion for him to come in after he was already inside before closing the door. “I am royally pissed off at you. Just so you know,” he said before turning to the others, “Edward.”

“David.”

“Hey, Dave,” Richie said. “Meet our friends.”

“I didn’t know you had friends,” he said sitting on one of the only available chairs. Seemingly he didn’t care that the room was full of people that he didn’t know. 

Richie shrugged, “neither did we. Guys, meet my agent, David. David, meet our friends.”

“You’re friends with William Denbrough?”

“He’s on my bean bag so I hope so. Weird if he wasn’t.”

“What do you want, David?” Eddie snapped. 

David glared at him. “I would like to talk to your husband about the dates he missed because of you.”

“I almost died.”

“And we had to refund three shows! He was on tour!”

“Next time I’ll get impaled at a more convenient date.” Eddie scoffed and turned to Bev, “can you see why I don’t like him?” 

“We’re rescheduling the dates,” David continued, ignoring Beverly laughing and nodding to Eddie. “We’ll refund if people don’t want a new ticket but we’re hopeful the majority come to the new dates. If we explain that your husband nearly died and all it might make people sympathetic. I’ve already had shows ask for an interview. Now, I don’t care why you have all these famous people in your house and I am really hoping the children I can hear are here legally. That kind of scandal isn’t one you can bounce back from.”

Richie laughed, “they are not here legally at all.”

“Just don’t let it get out,” David muttered before pulling out stacks of papers. “You can use your same material but I’m sure you two will find the comedic side of the - incident. So if you want to add or change, let me know. In advance. And that doesn’t mean just before you go on stage. Nothing too graphic. I’m going to suggest you tweet or something because I don’t want you fading. Maybe a photo of you two, we could use the sympathetic gay card. Or you with your famous friends. Don’t mention the children. Look over that and chose two requests for interviews at least. I don’t care if they’re only in LA, we can use that -”

“Sympathetic gay card?” Richie interrupted. “Make everyone fell bad for the gay who watched his husband nearly die?” 

“You’ve got it. Call me before tomorrow evening or I’m coming back over.”

“He’ll be calling you,” Eddie replied. David hummed, stood, nodded at all of them and left the house. “And now you know David.”

“I like him,” Richie said. 

Bill laughed, “I don’t think Eddie does.”

“He’s an asshole and the only reason Richie still employees him is because he’s lazy and David isn’t homophobic like Allen was.” 

“Was that another agent?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, my first one. Straight out of college-”

“You went to college?” Stan interrupted. 

Richie rolled his eyes, “haha. I did. I even have a degree. I was valedictorian in high school, Stan. I can do maths.”

“You have a degree in maths?” Beverly asked.

“No, I minored in maths. I have a degree in communications and drama writing. Anyway, Allen said he’d be my agent because he saw me at a bar and thought I was funny. I just happened to not mention I was gay in that set. I don’t know why, we weren’t hiding it. But he thought I was some straight dude and said he’d do it. Lasted about a month because he came over to our house. Surprise! I’m gay and in a relationship with a dude. Eds, what did he say to us?”

“Gays can’t be funny.”

“He thought you were funny,” Ben pointed out. “He wanted to be your agent.”

“That’s what Eddie said.”

“Everyone knows that homophobes are just dumb,” Bill said confidently. “They’re stupid.” 

“True,” Richie replied. “So yeah. That’s David and my story.”

Stan was the one to change the subject, looking very concerned as he spoke to the whole group. “Who’s in charge of decorating if we all live together?” 

Everyone claimed that it would be them at the same time. Then they looked around at each other like the others were crazy. Baby Mike and Eddie came out, to grab some sodas and looked at them weird before leaving again. That’s when the argument began. It wasn’t serious and everyone was laughing as they insulted each other. Everyone argued why they should be the one in charge of their new house. 

Some of them had good points. Ben was an architect so he knew houses and Bev was a fashion designer so she knew what kind of colours could look nice together. Bill’s claim was that he and Audra had a great house to which he had contributed. Stan and Patty teamed up, like Richie and Eddie, to explain how their house was one of the nicest on the block where they used to live. 

Stan even got up and pointed to specific parts of the house they were in as evidence that neither Richie or Eddie should be allowed to decorate the house. They were quick to fire back that, a) their house is awesome and much more fun than anyone else's and b) none of the others actually had a house anymore (Ben did, in Nebraska but Richie and Eddie pretended not to believe him for their sake). Richie even claimed that Eddie’s near-death experience gave them leverage as they had nearly died. When Bev said that Richie had not nearly died, anymore than the rest of them that is, he had sung out ‘la la la’. Stan was quick to explain how ‘immature’ that was and how ‘immature’ people shouldn’t be allowed to decorate houses. 

In the end, and it was always going to go this way but the first idea was a nice dream, they decided that living together wouldn’t go that well. But all of them were loathe at the idea of splitting up. So, because they were clever, they decided to buy a large section of land and simply build four houses on it. Because yes, Bill and Mike would be living together as would Ben and Bev. That way they were all close and they could decorate their own houses however they wanted. 

Win-win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I've been doubting this story after getting some nasty/negative messages that I deleted because I don't want to deal with it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

“Do you remember, in the clubhouse, Bev asked us if we were having nightmares?”

Eddie nodded. They were lying on a mattress on the floor. Technically Eddie had his own mattress that was pushed under the double bed that Stan and Bill were sleeping on. None of the kids cared and the adults didn’t come in here so they didn’t know (they totally knew, they just didn’t say anything). It wasn’t like Eddie and Richie hadn’t slept in the same bed together before, anyway. 

“I lied. I did have nightmares, still do.”

“So do I,” Eddie whispered back. He wanted their friends to sleep through this conversation.

“I used to dream that you found out about me. You told me that I was sick and that I was never to talk to you again. The other losers agreed with you. You forgot about me.”

“You’re impossible to forget. And I don’t want to, anyway,” he paused. “I dreamt that you called me sick as well. Told me that I was diseased and then I’d watch myself waste away in a mirror. Or one time you asked if I wanted to kiss you but then when we did you changed into It and I woke up but I think you ate me. It was weird.”

“Was that when you ignored me all day?”

Eddie slapped his chest lightly, “I didn’t ignore you! I just talked to Stan instead of you for a few minutes.”

“Ignoring me. But, yeah, I get it. One of my dreams ended with you pushing me out of your window but it was like a hundred stories up. I broke my arm.”

“There were a few times where I saw you and I thought you knew. I would get scared, didn’t want you to think that I was sick.”

Richie sighed and pulled Eddie closer. “Sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything.”

“Sometimes I felt like my dreams were right. That I deserved to be rejected by you guys because of it. Because I’m gay or whatever.”

“That’s not true, Richie. Tell me that you know that now.” 

“Yeah. Most of the time.”

Eddie sighed, “I’d give you some advice but I feel the same way.”

“Once I dreamed that I was hurt in the sewers and you left me there,” Richie said. “You all left me to die because It had told you that I had a crush on you. I was screaming for you to come back. My mom woke me up that morning, she heard me screaming for you from the kitchen. And it wasn’t like I could explain why but she looked at me like she knew. At least part of why I was yelling, anyway. I was so worried she’d yell at me for it. Or worse.”

“Jesus,” Beverly interrupted. “I mean, I watch you guys dying in detail but that’s fucked up.”

“Thanks, Bev,” Richie muttered. “Wait. What?”

Stan and Bill both sat up, “l-let’s t-t-talk about B-B-Bev’s dreams.”

“Yeah,” Mike said from his cot. 

“That’s awful, Bev,” Ben said from beside her. On his own mattresses because ‘I’m respectful, Richie’ and ‘yeah, he’s not a heathen, Richie’.

“Is everyone awake?” Eddie asked. Everyone confirmed that, yes, they are all awake and were definitely listening to their conversation. Nosy little fuckers the lot of them. But it wasn’t like Eddie wouldn’t have. Even if he was going to pretend the opposite now for the moral high ground because he could. “Great. Love that.”

“So we’re all fucked up,” Richie said. “That’s the gist of this conversation.” 

“Yes,” Stan said, “but at least we’re not dreaming of our crushes killing us or leaving us in the sewers to die.”

Richie made an offended noise, “Eddie and I aren’t crushing. We are in love.”

“We are?”

“Back me up, Eds. You gotta ‘cause we’re going to get married.”

“We are.”

Someone from the double bed threw a throw pillow at them. Richie threw it back at them, everyone watching as it sailed over the bed and hit Beverly in the face. She grinned, jumping up, grabbing her pillow and smacking Bill in the head with it. Who in turn started hitting Stan and Mike. Within a moment all seven of them were up pillows in hand and were attacking each other as hard as they could. 

As always Richie and Eddie teamed up, not letting anyone hit the other but still hitting each other as much as possible. Bill and Stan stood on their bed, hitting people from up there while Beverly and Ben ran around with the sequined pillows big Stan had given them from his room. Someone (Stan, but he yelled that it was Richie as soon as he did it) ended up hitting a lamp. It fell, made a loud noise but didn’t break so the fight continued on. 

It was needed. They’d all been brutally reminded of what happened. And the end results that they now suffered from. The memories which all of them were loathe to think about being brought to the forefront of their mind. But then they could turn about and be the children that they were. The eleven-year-olds that wanted to hit each other with sequined throw pillows while yelling death threats mixed with laughter. Because at the end of the day, if they couldn’t do this, then they couldn’t do anything. 

Just as Richie hit Ben in the head the door opened. All of them froze in place. Pillows still raised and incapable of controlling the giggles. Big Stan was staring at them, hands on hips and wearing slippers. Behind him were Mike and Bill. Both of them looked like they were a second away from laughing at what was in front of them. 

“We weren’t doing anything,” Richie said as he tried to hide the pillow behind him. The others followed suit. They were not hiding anything. “Promise, officers!” 

“Go to sleep,” Stan said.

All of their faces fell. Sleep meant nightmares. 

“Don’t tell big Richie but he hides ice cream at the bottom of the freezer,” Stan said before raising a finger to his lips. “Be quiet and we never had this conversation.” 

They were gone. And by the time the sun rose, so was the ice cream. Much too big Richie’s annoyance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kid interlude!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ
> 
> I deleted chapter 17 and 18. This chapter (now 17) starts similar to the old 18 but I've changed the way the story is going to go. 
> 
> The last chapter was the chapter with the young Losers at night. Nothing before that has been changed. 
> 
> Thank you :)

Eddie found Beverly sitting on their back porch late one night. Everyone else was asleep, or supposed to be asleep as there was muffled laughter coming from the kids room. They had been in the present for too long, everyone knew it. But they couldn’t find anything that was even a little helpful. It had been two months. Everyone was hoping that their timeline was frozen or they’d have an awkward time once they did get back to the 80s. 

He managed to open the door and roll out with minimal hassle. He was getting better at that sort of thing everyday. Beverly looked over at him and went to put the cigarette she was holding out. Eddie shook his head and came to a stop beside the love seat she was laying on. “Why are you awake?” She asked.

“I could ask you that,” he replied easily. “I had a nightmare and didn’t want to wake up Rich.”

“Same,” she sighed and laughed without any humour. “Tom called me after dinner. And yeah, I blocked him back in Derry but he called me from a payphone. Ben threatened him, told him not to call me again. I told Ben, obviously, but no one else, guess I didn’t want anyone to know that he still has such an effect on me. I hate that he can still make me shake like that. I hate him.”

“So do I. You can tell us anything, Bev. Tell me anything.”

She nodded, “I know. What was your nightmare? And you have to tell me because I told you.”

“Richie and I didn’t leave Derry together, so we forgot. It was just, it was awful to even think about. We were both miserable. I know you guys tease us for being so childish and stupid but I really do believe that we’re only like this because we stayed together. If we had tried long-distance or something like that we would have ended up like. I don’t know how to explain it. Like depressed, repressed forty-year old men. It hurt, seeing Richie like that.”

“That didn’t happen,” a third voice joined in. Stan stepped in front of them before sitting down on the outdoor armchair. “Sorry for eavesdropping. Didn’t mean to.” 

“He’s right, you know? You and Richie love each other so fucking much, if I didn’t love you two I’d find it gross how in love you two are.”

“Thanks,” Eddie said but he couldn’t take his eyes off where Stan was sitting. “We never had anyone over. Ever. I don’t think people ever actually sat there before. This is very strange.”

Stan laughed a little, “never?” 

“No. Aside from Dave and I hate him. I mean, we have friends from work and stuff but no one ever comes here. Richie and I are usually alone in the house and now we’ve got fifteen people here.” 

“Must be strange,” Stan muttered. “Who does Richie know from work? Like, other celebrities?”

Eddie nodded, “most of his friends he met on SNL. They are nice, don’t get me wrong, we get along but we’re just not close with them. Wait, why are you awake, Stan?” 

“No offense but you look like shit,” Bev added in. 

“Nightmare,” Stan replied. “I’ve had it a few times.”

“This is a safe space,” Beverly muttered and gestured to the circle they had formed. 

“When I started college I knew no one. I was alone for the first time in a long time and I really struggled with that. Luckily I met Patty and some friends quickly but for a few months I missed something that I didn’t know. Twice, it happened twice, that I seriously thought about ending it all. It got so bad the second time that I had to go to the school library so I wasn’t alone. Don’t look so sad,” Stan smiled at them. “I got better. Patty helped a lot but I worked on it myself as well. But when Mike called, when I remembered why he called, I thought about it again.”

Beverly grabbed his hands in hers. “Don’t. I know that’s not helpful but don’t ever do that. I can’t even think of a world where you’re not in it.”

“It’s okay. I thought about seeing you guys. I would have to face It as well, but I would see you guys and that was enough to keep me going through that moment. I’m alright now.”

“Good,” Eddie nodded. “Because I don’t want to have to go and get you back.”

“You would?” Stan asked.

“We all would,” Beverly replied. Almost angrily. “Because you’re our best friend.” 

Stan smiled at them. “I’d do the same for you because you’re my best friends.”

“We should get matching tattoos.”

“No!” 

Eddie gasped, “that’s an awful idea.” 

“I think it’d be great,” Beverly shrugged. “And I bet Richie would be on board.”

“Richie once tried to convince me to get a stripper’s pole put in our house. He’s insane.”

“What’s the bet you said yes?” Stan asked while Beverly laughed and nodded. “You call him insane but you're just as crazy as he is. Used to drive me mental when we were kids.” 

He pouted in reply. “It’s a portable one,” as if that was going to help his case. 

“I knew it.”

“I’ll give it to Patty. She can make you dance.”

“That is something that I would pay to see.”

Stan scowled at her, “no amount of money could get you into that room.”

“Patty and I are tight, I’ll ask her to film it for me. Can play at mine and Ben’s wedding for everyone to see.”

“I don’t want to see that, thank you. I should probably go back to bed, Richie will wake up if I don’t. He’s got some creepy sixth sense when it comes to me. He calls it his EdSense. See you two in the morning,” Eddie said. Both of them replied with their goodnights as Eddie left the porch. When the door was opened they could hear Bill snoring in the living room. No doubt curled up next to Mike, as they were every night. Richie had delighted in telling the whole group that the two of them spooned one morning soon after they all moved into the house. The door closed and Bev lit up another cigarette, offering one to Stan who shook his head. 

“I hope the kids stick together after this,” Stan said suddenly. 

She nodded, “they’re sweet kids. They deserve it.”

“They do. We do.” Stan sighed as he smoothed out a wrinkle in the pillow beside him. “I’m glad that they have each other. It’s like they're a little family all on their own.”

“Eddie was always like my brother. We used to talk about running away together, just the two of us because we didn’t like our parents. But then Eddie,” Beverly laughed softly and the memory that popped up. “He'd get upset at the idea of leaving Richie. He never said it but I could tell that was what was bothering him. He’d say all the Losers should come. Then I’d say that we couldn’t leave without trashmouth and his eyes would light up. I would have to hide my laughter at him.”

Stan laughed then, shaking his head. “They were always like that. Bill and I used to joke, before you guys came, that they were actually just one person because we never saw them apart.” 

“I thought that about you and Bill,” Bev said. “Before we were all friends. I thought that you and Bill were like that because I never saw you two apart.”

“Bill and I were close. And it was nice to get away from Richie and Eddie sometimes. They were so loud. And then you guys came and it was a lot nicer. I never thought that I would want a lot of friends. I had three friends and that was plenty. Then I had six,” Stan stood up before reaching out a hand to help Bev up as well. “I am very happy that you’re my friend, Bev.”

She kissed his cheek, “trust me. I’m just as happy that you’re mine. Night, Stan. Sleep tight.”

“You too, Bev.”

~

“Did Mike say which kind of potatoes?” 

“There are more than one kind?” Bev muttered to herself. “Just get white ones.” 

“Alright,” Ben smiled and picked up two bags. Bev watched it in apperaction. 

“Not that I didn’t love you when you were younger, because I did, but I am so in love with this,” Bev told him. Ben laughed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Beverly wasn’t lying when she said that. She was truly happy with the men in her life for the first time in a long time. Her dad and Tom had given her a skewed view of herself. She was so quick to find any and all problems that she had. Try to fix them before anyone else could see, which only ended with her sitting in the bathroom and crying. 

The first time that had happened with Ben he had sat with her. She could still remember it as clear as day even though it happened the second day they were in LA. She had dropped one of the cups they had just bought. No one knew, she was alone, but she cut herself. The sight of the blood on her foot had sent her into a frenzy. Through tears and gasps for breath she tied up the kitchen before hiding away. 

It wasn’t something she liked to admit. That she hid away sometimes. Hardly strong of her to cry in a locked room. But Ben had found her in there, knocking so softly and asking her if she needed anything. Everything told her not to, but she unlocked the door and let him into the room. He had sat down beside her, not touching her, and asked if she was hurt. It was in that moment that she truly realised what love actually felt like. Because she loved ben when they were kids, she did, but hey were kids and it was only for the summer. But now? Now she truly felt it. 

“I love you too,” Ben replied, bringing her back to the supermarket. “And I don’t love Richie, who asks for twelves bags of candy?”

“Is it worrying that I don’t know if you mean big or little Richie?” 

“Yes.”

Beverly laughed and went to reply when a younger girl came up to her, blushing hard and fiddling with her hands. Bev smiled at her. The girl couldn’t be older than twenty and was wearing a jumper that she had designed years ago. “I’m really sorry to bother you, but you are Beverly Marsh, right?”

“I am.”

The girl looked like she was about to squeal. “I, oh, I love your clothes. I think they’re amazing! This is awesome.”

“Thank you so much,” Beverly replied happily, “I like your jumper.”

“Oh, thank you! I love it so much. Such a wonderful print.”

“I drew it myself,” Bev said, she had drawn it back in college one day when she was missing something that she couldn’t name.

The girl was smiling, absolutely beaming. “Would it be okay if we took a photo?” She asked and Bev nodded. Getting Ben to take it and hugging her. “Oh my god, thank you so much! It was amazing to meet you.”

“You too,” Beverly replied before the girl ran off to a group of girls her age. “How nice.”

Ben and her started holding hands as they continued to go around the supermarket. Tom didn’t like holding her hand in public. Unless she was doing something he didn’t like and he started squeezing. Ben never squeezed her hand like that. Holding his hand was actually nice. She looked forward to it. “I love you,” she said. “You’ve taught me what love is, did you know that?”

“I didn’t,” he shook his head. “You taught yourself. But I love you too, more than I thought was possible.”

“We taught each other then.”

“That sounds good.”

She rested her cheek on his shoulder. “You’re the best.”

“Says you.” 

Yeah, Bev was really in love.

~

“Do you love me?”

Maggie looked down at Richie with a surprised look on her face. “Of course I do. Why are you asking?”

“I mean, I’m not your Richie,” little Richie shrugged. He didn’t look at her, instead focusing on watching his Eddie walking ahead with Wentworth, both of them laughing at something while Went made some big gestures as he spoke. It was a nice sight. “You know what I mean? I’m an immm-posture!”

“No, Richie. That’s not how it works.”

“Plus there’s the whole-” a pause “-gay thing.”

“Well, I already know about that, don’t I? I told the other Richie the exact same thing when he came out, ready?” Maggie asked very seriously and Richie nodded, a little timidly. “I knew you were gay the whole time. And not because of any stereotypes, like how you paint your nails and like Whitney Houston, or because everyone else seemed to know before you came out. I knew the second I saw you with Eddie when you were five. Because you looked at him the exact same way your father used to look at me. You being in love with Eddie means no more to me than if Eddie was a girl, promise.”

Little Richie made a small noise. Eddie looked back and smiled at him. “Do you think he loves me?”

“Richie, my darling child, you’re as blind in love as you are in real life.”

“So, yeah?” Richie confirmed and Maggie nodded with a laugh. “What about the whole immm-posture thing? Because I am not your Richie.”

She shrugged, “sure. You’re not the Richie I’m used to. But I breastfeed you, I birthed you and I changed your nappies so you are definitely my Richie. I am still your mother and I love you.”

“Are you going to miss me?” 

“I am. But I’m also not going to because you’re going home to me.”

“It’s very complicated.”

Maggie smiled, “I suppose. It’s a lot easier to deal with if you think of it like this. I love you, and I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

“And,” she dragged the word out. “I always have been. So when you get home if you want to talk to me, I’ll be there.”

Richie made a face. “About the clown thing or the gay thing?”

“Both. Like I said, you two are pretty obvious. I never brought it up because I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Does dad know?”

“Yes. Richie. Do you know that you introduced Eddie to us as your future husband? I think we know.”

“I did?” Richie asked with a laugh and Maggie nodded Eddie looked back at them, Richie motioning him to come closer. “Turns out I always knew that I was going to marry you.”

Eddie frowned in confusion, “what?”

“I told my parents we were going to get married when we were five. And I was right.”

“It was meant to be,” Went said. 

“When you go back it will be hard. I know that your childhood was not kind to you,” Maggie said softly to the both of them. “If I could take you both out of Derry I would, but I can’t so I’m going to give you this advice. You’re not wrong, or sick or dirty or anything else like that. Our house is a safe space for you both, you can be yourselves there when you can’t anywhere else. And remember this, it gets better.”

Both boys looked like they were about to cry. Went smiled at them, “come on. There’s a retro shop not far from here. We can go and get some cool old-school stuff that is normal for you two.”

“Sounds great,” Richie replied. No one mentioned the voice break. 

“We’ll have to be quick,” Maggie said looking up from her phone. “My Richie just texted me. He wants us back at the house soon.” 

“Why?” Eddie asked.

Maggie smiled, “you guys get to go home.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more left!

The ritual Mike and Ben had found came from New Mexico. It seemed fairly easy. Nothing like the process fighting the clown had been. They’d have to do the ritual in the living room and then go to bed. If all went well they’d wake up to the right people in the right timelines. 

Richie didn’t want to admit it but he was half scared that he would wake up in ‘89. And that would suck big time. He was not willing to go to a time period where adults wore shoulder pads. His mother had done it, and that was simply not for him. When he told Eddie (because he told Eddie everything, even if it was embarrassing and probably should be a secret) he had sighed and told Richie not to think that way. Just in case.

So the Losers found themselves in the living room for - hopefully - the last time. At least, the last time with fourteen plus Patty. Tomorrow there would still be the seven and Patty. Only adults. If this ritual worked. It would work. Bill had told them to think happy thoughts and while Richie considered himself a sceptic he had seen to much stupid shit to discount the magic of positive thinking. 

One of those stupid things was sitting right in front of him. Baby him. The little Losers were sitting with their adult counterparts, chatting casually. His double was currently listening to a story big Eddie was telling their littles about Richie in college. Sure, he had done some stupid and yes he did regret getting up on that bar every time Eddie brought it up. He didn’t see why his husband felt the need to share it. 

“The moral of the story,” Eddie concluded, “is that Richie is stupid. He’s so smart but so dumb and you need to get a leash.”

“That’s fair,” little Eddie nodded. 

“Fuck off,” both Richies muttered causing their Eddies to laugh. Big Richie continued on, “I think Mike is gearing up. Guess this is goodbye.”

Little Richie hesitated for a moment before he moved, throwing himself into an awkward hug with his big. Over his head, big Richie saw the Eddies hugging. A lot less awkwardly and a lot more gentle. Richie tightened his hold on the kid. “Thank you, kind sir, for allowing us the pleasure of staying as your guests.”

“Your voices need so much work.” 

“Remember your roots, old man. Ready, Eds?”

“Not really. I like this time,” Little Eddie replied. The Eddies broke apart, each Richie moving to be closer to their Eddie. Second nature no matter the age. “The ‘80s suck.”

Big Eddie smiled at him, “but it gets so much better. You leave Derry in ‘94 and the late ‘90s in New York are a world apart from Derry.”

“It seems like a world away.”

“It’s not,” Richie reassured. “And hopefully this time loop means you guys can remember each other as you grow up.”

“What if it doesn’t?” Other Richie asked. 

Richie shrugged, “I don’t know what to say to that. But I do know that you two won’t forget each other. You’re in it for the long haul.”

“That’s not a problem,” little Eddie replied. 

“You’re a good kid, putting up with the shit voices,” big Richie laughed. 

“I don’t really mind them,” little Eddie admitted. Big Eddie laughed at the confession. Both Richies smiled. 

From across the room, Mike called out their names. Patty gave little Stan a hug, waved at all the children and then left to their bedroom. All of the Losers gathered closer. The ritual was as simple as their blood pact from a few weeks or years ago, depending. Because it was a blood pact. Two circles, the children in one and the adults surrounding them. Same positions as the first time. Same cut, different knife. 

Easy.

They stood in their circles and, as silly as it seemed, thought about the kids going home. It wouldn’t work if they didn’t want to go back. And Richie had been nervous that they wouldn’t want to go home and this wouldn’t work. But then he had seen the looks in all seven pairs of eyes. They were tired. They wanted to go to a world that they knew and that made sense to them. They wanted to go home. 

Richie couldn’t blame them.

So they thought their happy thoughts and stood in the circle until the sun had fully set. 

Easy.

And then they went to bed.


	19. Chapter 19

They had loved having everyone at their house, but man where they were glad that it was over. It had been fun and they didn’t regret but that didn’t change the sigh of relief that left both Eddie and Richie when they finally had their house to themselves again. Or, their new house anyway.

And it wasn’t like they were far away from the rest of the Losers. They were neighbours after all. Technically they weren’t even neighbours, they lived on the same plot of land. None of them could be bothered legally splitting it. So they didn’t. So yes, Richie and Eddie had their own house - and one side they had Ben and Bev, and on the other Mike and Bill and Stan and Patty opposite them with a large communal garden and pool in between them all. 

If you had told either Richie or Eddie only a year ago that they’d be living with their closest friends right beside them, they would have laughed. They didn't have close friends at the time, of course, which would have been a part of the reasons for laughter. But now look at them go. Living pretty with their friends and not a child in sight. And most importantly all of them were truly happy, and they hoped that their little counterparts - now 30 years before them - were as well. 

~

The little counterparts were not as happy as their bigs. This was not surprising, children don’t often get their way like adults. But that didn’t mean they were not happy. Because they were happy. Very happy. Derry was shit, the 80s sucked and they were 13 - the worst age to be - but they were together. Now in more ways that one, after Richie and Eddie and then Ben and Bev. So while they didn’t live near each other and they had to deal with their parents and school and Derry, they were still happier than they had been in a very, very, long time. 

They found that, at the end of the day, to be the most important part of the whole story anyhow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Originally I was going to write a longer epilogue for this but have found that I really dislike this fic. I was going to delete it but decided not to, instead, I will be making it anonymous. The story is finished, I'm not abandoning it. But again, thank you all so much <3


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